By Don Gingerich
Published in December 2006
Worth a Second Look Furniture and Housewares grew out of a conversation with the Society of St. Vincent de Paul about transforming the old thrift store at 97 Victoria into a revitalized community venture.
Our goal was to initiate a community-wide effort to decrease the amount of furniture and housewares items that end up in landfills, while creating a welcoming, clean and interesting recycling centre.
Worth a Second Look has evolved as a community tools project that is unique in the way that it is structured and the way that it functions.
The goal of a Community Tool project is the wide involvement of those not able to work in the regular labour market and those wanting to contribute in many different ways.
Those involved do not perceive their efforts as charity but rather as an effort towards contributing to the good of society. The practicality of the projects helps everyone stay focused on the tasks at hand. This way of developing community provides opportunities for individuals to express their creativity and skills in a meaningful way. It is work that facilitates environmental sustainability and the means to help individuals to meet basic material needs and creative desires.
