Page 38 - Presbyterian Connection, Spring 2020

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PRESBYTERIAN
SPRING 2020
presbyterian.ca
Cruise Night in Salmon Arm
By the Rev. Ena van Zoeren
St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Church in Salmon Arm, B.C.
The idea was born out of a conver- sation with a member of the con- gregation when we were complain- ing that there was nowhere to go and dress up in our formal cruise clothes. Why not have a cruise at home, I wondered? The Session agreed, and so the Dinner Cruise Night was announced to the con- gregation. Originally planned as a dress-up event with a potluck dinner and a few slides of a cruise or trip
for entertainment, it grew to be quite the event. It was the perfect pick- me-up in the middle of a particularly snowy winter.
The idea of a simple dinner ex- panded to include a period of appe- tizers and “sparkling drinks” before the dinner. We added chocolates for people to take home for “on their pillow,” and then we added a shuf- fleboard tournament and prizes. I joked about finding a jazz band and a magician. The magic of that night kept growing. One of our members offered to be the “ship’s photogra- pher,” taking photos throughout the
evening, and also escor ting the will- ing to a booth in the Sunday School room to sit for formal portraits.
The decorations for the evening, coming from the collaboration of a few members, included center- pieces of a cruise ship on a life- preserver. Blue poufs were every- where. There were candelabra with sparkling gems. Blue vases held tea lights. The appetizer station included champagne flutes.
On a cold, snowy night we gath- ered. Many wore their best formal wear, some came as they were. Everyone was welcome. Best of
Stella Howes, left, and Margaret Dupelle enjoy volunteering at the CAFÉ shop in Vankleek Hill. PHOTO CREDIT: JAMES MOR- GAN, THE REVIEW
suits on the racks.
In addition to clothing, the shop
also sells previously loved shoes, purses, bedding, towels, dishes, books and CDs.
Barton said the store is popular with all sorts of customers, and that stopping by is part of the daily rou- tine for many of them.
“Some like the friendly atmos- phere and the socializing. For some, it’s their favourite place to shop,” she said.
Barton added that donations have slightly decreased lately, but she is hoping the situation improves soon. Items can be left at the shop dur- ing business hours, but people also
all, everyone brought a party at- titude. Mingling, talking, sharing stories, playing a cutthroat game of shuffleboard and challenging one another to “beat that score”—all were activities that expressed just how much people were enjoying the evening. The slides of various trips and cruises were a celebration of the most beautiful places in creation and a revelation into the personality and insight of those who had pho- tographed the places and events. Those stories about the trips were such a delight.
The best part of the whole night
was that people simply enjoyed one another’s company. No one rushed to the kitchen to clean up. Everyone stayed and chatted and thoroughly enjoyed the slides and the games. Then at the end, some departed with their leftovers and their chocolates. The rest, in their best formal wear, stayed to do dishes and mop the floors. Even better, all agreed that the whole event was so enjoyable that we should do it again.
Who knows, maybe next year we will have the jazz band and the magician. We have a whole year to dream, ponder and plan.
Vankleek Hill’s CAFÉ Thrift Shop
Connection
NEWS
By Louise Sproule, The Review Newspaper
There’s a small CAFÉ thrift shop at 23 Home Avenue in Vankleek Hill, Ont., just around the corner from Jade Garden. You may have seen the flag that flies next to a simple door- way four days of the week and won- dered what is inside. It is the home of the Community Assistance Fund Enterprise (CAFÉ) shop, which sells high-quality, “gently used” clothing and other previously owned house- hold items. All proceeds go to the Vankleek Hill Food Bank.
The shop opened approximately 30 years ago, according to its cur- rent manager, Ruby Barton. The Rev. Robert Martin was the minister at Knox Presbyterian Church then, and the shop was created originally as a temporary, six-week means to raise extra funds for the food bank. “It was never really intended to go this long,” he said.
However, a combination of com- munity need, quality merchandise
and low prices has kept the little shop thriving, according to Martin.
“We take the best,” said Ruby Bar- ton, about how carefully the items are selected for sale.
The CAFÉ is housed inside Knox Presbyterian Church and many of the volunteers who work at the shop are Knox members. There are 12 volun- teers who regularly take turns each Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday to sort through donations and decide what will be sold. Items that are not selected for the store are sent to other charitable and mission- based organizations. Unusable items are recycled. Nothing goes to waste.
The CAFÉ shop holds popular bag sales at the end of each winter and summer season. Customers can fill a grocery bag for two dollars or a trash bag for eight dollars. There are also occasional special sales on pants and sweaters; and coats are always sold at half price for a week before each Christmas. Indeed, in anticipa- tion of winter, there are always many winter coats and children’s snow-
leave them outside the door when it is closed. Volunteers routinely check for donations and will put them inside if they see them accumulating.
The CAFÉ shop in Vankleek Hill is open from 1:00 to 4:00 p.m. on
Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, and from 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. on Saturdays. Watch for the big red flag, or the “OPEN” flag, waving/hanging outside the door whenever the shop is open.