By Eleanor Wilson
Berwick Opportunity Shop had topped off another successful fundraising year – donating over $200,000 to 38 different community groups and organisations throughout Casey and Cardinia.
The volunteer-run op shop saves the proceeds from sales throughout the year and presents donation cheques to 20 local CFAs, 3 local SES groups and various other community organisations at the end of each financial year.
Berwick Opportunity Shop president Margaret Ruse said the volunteers look forward to presenting the cheques each year.
“Most of us like to give back to the community and help others and a lot of our customers are really supportive of that as well,” she said.
“A lot of the fire brigades invite us to their annual award dinners to present the cheques, which is great for them to acknowledge us in that way.”
The op-shop consistently donates a large proportion of their proceeds to local CFAs, including the Berwick Fire Brigade, which has had a partnership with the op shop since 1989.
Berwick CFA Captain Craig Sanderson said this year’s donation from the op shop will go towards replacing the brigade’s field command vehicle.
He said the Berwick opportunity shop has been a great contributor to CFA equipment in the past also, with donated funds over the years going to everything from emergency medical response equipment to chainsaws and gas detectors.
Mr Sanderson encouraged the Berwick community to consider donating not just personal items, but their time to volunteer with the op shop.
Berwick Opportunity Shop has been running since 1966, located at its current Clyde Road location since 1989.
While Ms Ruse said she was thrilled with the $200,000 raised in the 2021 -’22 financial year, she said Covid had affected the op shop’s fundraising abilities.
“Pre-Covid we were raising over $300,000 each year, so Covid has hit us badly, but we’re very pleased to be able to give what we can,” she said.
