This is Joyce. I ran into her just after 6am at Merry Ann's Diner on Neil St., sitting with her husband, drinking coffee and stocking up on energy for the sale. They were both, of course, decked out in bright green t-shirts, the signature, blinding color of the Dump & Run Community Garage Sale. (Joyce was even wearing the cutest little Y earrings...)
In this moment, before the sale even began, I noted the dedication and spirit of our brand of volunteers.
Tireless (so long as we provide some refreshments).
Strong (especially our third floor residents who always help carry sofas around).
Brave (once the Stock Pavilion dust gets flying, it can be a madhouse in there between the hours of 7 and 10am).
Loyal (our boutique volunteers have been drawing a hard line on the most elegant items for the past few years, without fail).
Dedicated (enough to wear the new pink "Ask Me" shirts that made the most knowledgeable of them distinctive).
Hospitable (opening doors to international students who are just getting started at the university and need to be solidly welcomed).
Green (doing their very best to keep things cheap, to the point of significant bargaining, so that we can keep whatever possible out of dumpsters and get it into the hands of people who will use it).\
and dare I say... Good-looking?
More information forthcoming, but the most important task we have now, at the end of two very long days, is to thank the volunteers who made it possible.
Here's a slideshow of photos from this year's sale. You can download photo at full resolution or order prints from the Flickr set here.
