Shops all over the UK, ranging from a mum's favourite Bonmarche to the local Chinese, saw their untimely ends during the pandemic. Local businesses were faced with empty rooms, waiting for their vacant tills to gradually fill up with the uproar of customers.
However charity shops have arguably seen the worse end of the stick.
Emmaus, whilst a local charity, is a nationwide organisation with 30 different communities relentlessly providing and supporting the homeless. Compared to its non profit competitors such as Cancer Research or Oxfam, Emmaus is pretty unknown so its unwavering journey, towards employing, housing and ensuring the safety of the homeless, has seen many bumps along the road. However with the numerous lockdowns, the organisation has seen further disincentives but has only strived to provide for those in need.
What does your local Emmaus have to say?
To find out more, I began volunteering at my local Emmaus branch and delved into this anti - homeless movement. Within seconds of walking into the shop, I was taken away by the beautiful vintage pieces priced much lower than their aesthetic value. Clearly this satisfied both the collector and frugality in me! As I worked my way around the shop, I noticed a daily target of around £150. According to Julie Doe, a regular volunteer, this was a target set to be achieved each day in order to maintain both the shop costs and to support the community. However "absolutely nothing, nothing happens if it's not met it really is just a motivator" quietening my concerns. This proved to be true as on my next visit the daily target had risen to £178!
I hope it only goes up!
