Jumble Around volunteers, from left, Marianne Jarvie, Mary Waters, Susan Meynell, Gill Day and Christine Crawford.
Jumble Around has reached a milestone in more ways than one this year. The not-for-profit charity op shop, which puts 100 percent of its profits back into the local community, recently released its biggest ever annual funding round totalling $123,970 – coinciding with another milestone, its 50th birthday.
The organisation was originally started by a group of local women to fund the building of Resthaven but was so successful it carried on its good work for the community, dishing out over a million dollars over the last five decades. With 34 volunteers, not a penny goes towards wages or pay cheques, it all goes towards Cambridge community groups and a few regional organisations which service Cambridge, such as the Westpac Rescue Helicopter.
Ninety-five organisations were recipients of this year’s funding, including $3000 to Cambridge Community House, $4000 to Cambridge Lifeskills, $3000 to Cambridge RDA, $2000 to Maungatautari Ecological Island and $3000 to Kiwi Outreach, just to name a few. Kiwi Outreach founder and chairperson Paul Scoble said the organisation, which sponsors local kids through high school by covering the cost of their school fees and equipment, would be able to sponsor two more children thanks to the funding from Jumble Around and the local community. “For some families the cost of a child going to high school can be hard,” he said. “Kiwi Outreach appreciates Jumble Around’s continued support.”
Jumble Around president and a volunteer of 21 years Marianne Jarvie said this year’s funding round ($12,000 more than last year’s donations) was due to the generosity of Cambridge, crediting those who donate items, those who shop there, and those who volunteer their time for making it such a success. “We like to think of ourselves as being a community op shop that’s for our community,” she said. “For 50 years Jumble Around has supported Cambridge first, then if funds were available we would support a small number of regional groups or organisations too.”
Marianne said the organisation is always in need of more volunteers: “It’s finding people who have a passion for the fact that we are raising money for the community, to help make it a better place, I think that is quite important.”
Jumble Around warmly welcomes donations of good, saleable items, and of course shoppers too. Located on the corner of Shakespeare and Campbell Sts in Leamington, the shop is open Monday to Friday 10am to 4pm, and 10am to 12pm on Saturdays.
