‘Help us to help others’ – this is the slogan of the recently opened Goodwill Charity Shop, located on Rua Direita in Portimão.
Selling everything from clothing to furniture, books, toys and bric-a-brac, the team of nearly 15 volunteers is led by a desire to make a difference on a local level while creating a community of like-minded individuals.
The Algarve Resident met with the head of the charity, Christine Browning, to find out more about the shop and what drew her to this project.
“We are a non-profit charity association staffed by a number of volunteers of various different nationalities,” Christine told us, explaining that all proceeds from items sold at the shop go towards local people in need. “Our goal is to help anyone who needs it, all the way from the local orphanages to old people’s homes.”
This isn’t the first time Christine has been involved in a charitable initiative, she told us, and she sees the investment, on all levels, as a “necessary sacrifice”.
For its first month, the shop has filled up quite nicely but Christine makes it very clear that all donations will be warmly accepted.
“We will be happy for virtually anything,” she told us with a smile. “People can bring their donations to the shop, or we can pick them up with our van if needed” – a clear sign of the team’s community spirit and desire to help those who cannot help themselves.
The new shop can be found at No.5 Rua Direita, in the Portus Magnus building, and is open Monday to Friday from 10am to 2pm, and on Saturdays from 10am to 1pm.
923 104 885 | 968 740 693 | 282 484 343
By MICHAEL BRUXO [email protected]
Photo : Christine Browning, head of the charity, and Caroline Alford, volunteer
