On Wednesday, March 3rd, we traveled to Chelsea to help out at a thrift store of Housing Works. Housing Works is renowned for addressing the needs of people living with HIV/AIDS that other organizations deem “too challenging to serve.” There are seven of these thrift stores located throughout NYC, and the one we volunteered at was located in Chelsea. The stores sell high-end vintage treasures to bargain hunters and fashionistas alike. The stores not only provide more than $12 million in funding per year, but also ensures a supply of clothing and essentials for their clients.
We spent a full day helping out at Housing Works doing a variety of tasks. Many of us were sent out for an hour or two to hand out brochures advertising Housing Work's Spring Preview that took place Thursday night at 5pm. Our advertising skills were definitely tested, being we were asked to leave the Chelsea Markets twice before we budged, and let's just say New Yorkers are not the most approachable. Many of us adapted though and migrated to the Subway or street corners to spread the word about Housing Work's Spring Preview.
Besides advertising, much work needed to be done in the actual store to prepare for the big Spring Preview. All kinds of furniture needed to be arranged and then re-arranged around the store until they were perfectly situated. Racks and racks of clothes needed to be color-coordinated. Walls, shelves and display-mounts needed to be painted. Bathrooms cleaned. Tabletops cleaned. Shelves organized. And the list goes on and on. Our whole group was there to help out with all of these things and the workers there were super awesome to work with.
The photos I captured are only a glimpse into the work we did here, so hopefully some more pictures will be posted by everyone else!
Organizing the back room.
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