The volunteers at Parkes Vinnies are excited about the golden tagged treasures to be discovered in the shop from Mon-day. They are (L-R) Gary Hussey, Jan Hussey, Debbie Nelson, Trish Davies, Greg Cregan, Liz Jones, Tanya Godden (Vinnies NSW Regional Retail Manager), Elaine Charlton, Sue Hennessy and Betty Ackroyd.
There will be ten rare golden tagged treasures hidden in the Parkes Vinnies shop from Monday to be discovered by clients as part of St Vincent de Paul Society’s 100th anniversary celebrations.
As Vinnies shops across NSW have been the home of treasure for 100 years and raise vital funds to support people in need, 100 feature items will be placed in select Vinnies shops.
Parkes is one of the select shops and the treasures include clothing, accessories, and homewares from famous brands including Bassike, Blanca, Double Rainbouu, Dylan Kain, Ellery, Furla, Henne, Jac + Jack, Jets, Kathmandu and more.
There are also extra special prizes to be won, and every transaction made at Vinnies during the campaign, running from 24th October to 6th November, will be eligible to go into the draw to win. Simply scan the QR code at the point of sale once you’ve made a purchase.
“Vinnies Shops are an institution in Australia where people can discover a treasure and give it a second life,” said Jack de Groot, St Vincent de Paul Society NSW CEO.
“Our shops play an important role in making our services sustainable, along with reducing the amount of waste that ends up in landfill.
“We have Vinnies Shops in 225 locations in NSW which rely strongly on the generosity and goodwill of volunteers who give of their time to support the community.
“A lot has changed over the past 100 years but the core of Vinnies Shops remains the same in giving items a second life and using the sales to help people who fall on hard times.”
Sales from items sold in Vinnies shops are used to enable services run by the St Vincent de Paul Society which supports people experiencing hardship with food, clothing, household bills, crisis accommodation, healthcare, educational programs and much more.
Helen Smith from Vinnies in Forbes said the need in the community had become acute over the past three months with homelessness a real concern. She said the cost of living and high rental rates were the main contributors to the increased need for assistance.
St Vincent de Paul Society NSW President Paul Burton echoed this concern saying: “We’re seeing a real demand for assistance at the moment due to the high cost of living, so it’s very important that our shops remain viable in order to continue meeting the needs of people who reach out in times of hardship.”
If you would like to donate to Vinnies, remember if it’s good enough to give to a friend, it’s good enough to give to Vinnies. Only 4% of all donations received at Vinnies are sellable. The more money Vinnies raise, the more people they are able to help.
So don’t miss the Parkes Vinnies golden window display and an opportunity to discover a golden tagged treasure!
By Maggi Barnard