New To You gets a new look

July 16, 2019

By Kristena Schutt-Moore

The volunteers of New To You have been working hard since early January to give the New To You shop, located on Hastings Street North next to Loyalist College, a new look.
When the pipes burst, the volunteers, all in their 70s or older, thought that they would have to find a new building. However once the pipes were repaired it was determined that other than that unfortunate accident, the building was in good shape and since they had just finished paying off their mortgage, they decided to stay. And while they were finishing up the back rooms the volunteers decided the whole building could use a makeover and a fresh coat of paint.
So they rolled up their sleeves and got to work. They started in the kitchen/working area where the volunteers needed better space for more mobility. They worked on the cupboards and added more storage space for the donations people drop off. From there they added the new “Man's Cave,” a room in the store where gentlemen looking for a new outfit can browse. They also put a fresh coat of paint on the entire building to freshen up the place, making it look more open and bright like a boutique. New French doors were installed at the store's main entrance, they laid down new floors throughout the building and replaced quite a few of the windows. During all of this they never once had the doors closed to shoppers.
This boutique-like second hand shop is run by volunteers of the North Hastings District Hospital Auxiliary and currently they are working to raise funds for a blood warmer and a blood analyzer for the Bancroft hospital's emergency room. These items help health teams treat patients faster and keep them from going into shock during transfusions.
To do this, New To You sells good, gently used clothing as a way of fundraising for the hospital. There is a seven member board that manages New To You and 36 volunteers in total who work three-hour-long shifts throughout the week.
It's not just the hospital that the volunteers help. If New To You receives items other than clothes or accessories such as decor items and tools, those items are passed on to other organizations that will sell them such as the Lake St. Peter Word of Life Outreach so that they can still be used to help local organizations and families.
Many of the volunteers say they enjoy the work because it is a way for them to continue to lend their skills to their community, it gives them a way to be with friends, and have some fun. They are always looking for more volunteers and those who may be interested are welcome to stop in the store and talk about volunteer possibilities or contact Katie Fentie, the auxiliary volunteer coordinator at 613-332-3804 or email her at [email protected].
With the renovations now compete New To You is inviting shoppers to come in and check out the store's new look as well as shop local and help them support the Bancroft hospital.