Give A Little, Take A Little...

Village Give-Away Weekend another rousing success

A few scattered showers did nothing to dampen the enthusiasm of treasure hunters last weekend at the tenth annual Village Give-Away event.

Umbrellas, tents and canopies popped up along roadsides on Saturday to protect the goods residents had set out to give away, and by Sunday afternoon, the sun did its best to brighten the mood.

Organizer Heather Hood says she's not sure how many families participate, but there's always at least a few houses on every street taking part, and more who just spend time driving around.

"You have the ‘regulars’ who always do it and you get to know who has the good stuff," she says. "Since I’m a teacher at both Gleneagles and Lions Bay, I try and spread the word throughout both school communities too."

Hood is originally from Winnipeg, where they do a city-wide giveaway weekend twice a year. "It always was a huge success, so I thought, why not bring it here to our little community? I organized the Garage Sale for years when I was on the Events Committee. It was also a lot of fun but it meant hauling all of our stuff to the hall and then taking home whatever we didn’t sell. No one ever really made that much money anyway and that’s what Facebook Marketplace is for now. This seemed like the perfect solution."

As a rule, Hood generally sets the event for a weekend in early May. Last year she scheduled it over the long weekend, but received complaints from some people who were away and didn’t want to miss out.

Her favourite part of the process is when someone gets a great find and when they get rid of all their stuff. "That makes me so happy. I love repurposing things and also the idea of items staying out of landfills."

She remembers when a friend was planning to head out to the LEGO Store one weekend with his son. "Wouldn’t you know it, just down their street, one of their neighbours had just put out a whole table of LEGO. Saved them a trip and a whole lot of money!"

Hood says that the first year of organizing the event, her own family found a ping pong table being given away which was perfect for their kids. She says they kept it for a few years until they replaced it with a pool table, and then passed it on again during another Giveaway weekend. "It was great to pass on such a large item for three different families in our village to enjoy."

Not only Village residents benefit. This year, a bachelorette party out to give the bride one final hike as a single woman had to pause their Tunnel Bluffs aspirations for a few minutes after passing one house. The bride-to-be was thrilled to pick up two chairs, a framed piece of artwork and a queen-sized iron bed, which she and her bridesmaids returned to load into their cars before resuming their hike.

Hood says she wants to thank everyone for their support of the event. "Reusing is the way to go. We can all do our part!"

Did you find something special at the Give Away Weekend?

Share your thoughts below, or email editor@lionsbaywatershed.ca

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