Imagine holding a garage sale in your front yard. A few dozen people walk through, you lighten your load of unneeded things, and maybe you earn a few hundred bucks. Now imagine a garage sale that nets $68,000!
That’s the sale Twin Lakes Church in Aptos dubs the “World’s Biggest Garage Sale.” The event, held this year on May 13, involved months of planning, scores of volunteers (ages 12 to 82), and thousands of hours of donated time during the final weeks of preparation. Dozens of stalls, racks, and tables of furniture, clothing, housewares, art, tools, collectibles, and more crowded the parking lot and grounds of the sizeable Aptos campus on the sunny Saturday morning.
The massive sale raised $54,000 for Second Harvest, which we’ll turn into 216,000 meals, distributed through our network of nearly 200 partner agencies and food and nutrition programs throughout Santa Cruz County.
Second Harvest CEO Willy Elliott-McCrea said, “The amazing dedication and hard work we see from the Twin Lakes Church community continually surprises me. They’re truly invested in feeding people in need, and they sacrifice so much of themselves to do so, time and time again.”
TLC member Gina Kindscher praised the efforts of the many volunteers who provided the time and labor which made the event possible. “In the face of adversity we all powered on, despite personal challenges, as the mission to feed people was heavy on our hearts.”
One of those volunteers, Taylor Spielman, temporarily gave up one of his passions in the weeks leading up to the event. Spielman, 25, a member of the church’s Youth Ministry, normally surfs the East Side for two hours every morning before work. “I figured for two weeks instead of doing something I usually do for myself, I’d give up that time and give it to the garage sale… Knowing what the [two non-profits] do, there was no question in my mind that it was a good cause,” he reflected.
Second Harvest thanks all the volunteers, donors of supplies and items for sale, and bargain shoppers who made this event such a huge success. It’s events like these which reinforce our mantra, There’s Strength in Community!