DEAR SUN SPOTS: John F. Murphy Homes will hold a Rene Saindon memorial fund scrapbooking event from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 7, Holy Cross Church in Lewiston. All proceeds will go toward the Activity Fund at John F. Murphy Homes at the Sargent Avenue house, per Rene’s request.

Six-foot spaces are available. Lunch, snacks, prizes and make-and-take projects will be available. Tickets are $35 and donations will also be accepted as well. Please make checks payable to KOC #106. Mail to KOC #106, in care of James Sutton, P.O. Box 1622, Lewiston, ME 04241-1622

— Corinne, no town

DEAR SUN SPOTS: We’re having a downsizing garage sale and would like to have someone pick up all the leftover items after the sale in Lewiston. Do you have someone in your files who would do this work? The items would have to be picked up between Aug. 20 and 23. Please call 783-9515 and leave a message. Thank you for all your great work.

— No name, no town

ANSWER: I had a huge estate sale then left the items people didn’t buy on the curb for 24 hours with a big “Free” sign. The following day, only one piece of furniture remained. If the items are usable to someone else, you may want to look into donating them to Goodwill, a local homeless shelter or other nonprofit such as a church. Some of these organizations have volunteers who will pick up the items.

Advertisement

If the leftover items are considered junk and need to be taken to the dump, contact Leone’s Junk Removal (740-7002) or The Dump Guy (450-5858). I’m sure there are many more with different levels of service. Readers, if you have a favorite team who helps you remove unwanted clutter, please write in!

DEAR SUN SPOTS: Do you know of an organization that reuses trophies? I have a couple I would like to donate. Thanks for all you do.

— Diane, Livermore Falls

ANSWER: This question is asked fairly often and I’m glad people are thinking of recycling these once-loved trophies. I think it’s great that these mementos of our glory days can be taken apart and reassembled to honor someone else’s accomplishments.

John F. Murphy Homes on Center Street in Auburn repurposes trophies for its activities and competitions. The organization provides housing and services for those with developmental disabilities. Contact info@jfmhomes.org or 782-2726.

Trophies can also be donated to LAMB Awards. This organization helps find new homes for old trophies by either donating them to charities or breaking them down for parts to be used for building other trophies. The organization also collects plaques and medals.

Advertisement

Contact them first by email at internet@lambawards.com (write “recycling” in the subject line) or call 1-800-877-1448. The mailing address is 129 East Main St., Westminster, MD 21157. You pay shipping expenses, but it’s a small price to pay to contribute to a good cause.

Special Olympics can’t use trophies, but they do use ribbons and medals. Their office is in South Portland and the phone number is 207-879-0489.

This column is for you, our readers. It is for your questions and comments. There are only two rules: You must write to the column and sign your name. We won’t use it if you ask us not to. Please include your phone number. Letters will not be returned or answered by mail, and telephone calls will not be accepted. Your letters will appear as quickly as space allows. Address them to Sun Spots, P.O. Box 4400, Lewiston, ME 04243-4400. Inquiries can also be emailed to sunspots@sunjournal.com.

 


Only subscribers are eligible to post comments. Please subscribe or login first for digital access. Here’s why.

Use the form below to reset your password. When you've submitted your account email, we will send an email with a reset code.

filed under: