Mom & Women Charity Sale recently held its latest sale event at Shanghai Racquet Club & Apartments (SRCA), with a theme of secondhand children’s items including clothing, toys and games, books and strollers.
Mom & Women Charity Sale recently held its latest sale event at Shanghai Racquet Club & Apartments (SRCA), with a theme of secondhand children’s items including clothing, toys and games, books and strollers.
Team members of Mom & Women Charity Sale Photos: Chen Shasha/GT
Mom & Women Charity Sale is a nonprofit team of four Czech women living in Shanghai. They provide a venue for buying and selling items to help offset the expensive costs of raising a child in Shanghai. The group has held three sales this year. In addition to secondhand items from sellers, there are also used and new items donated by organizations and individuals.
Secondhand children’s items sold at the event Photo s: Chen Shasha/GT
“I’ve spent more than 1,000 yuan ($146) at previous sales,” one Israeli mother told the Global Times. “They are all in good quality. I am going back to my country soon and I would like to give these to my family as gifts.”
According to Lenka, one of the four female team members, sellers donate 15 percent of the proceeds to Heart to Heart Shanghai, a nonprofit community outreach organization that helps Chinese children from poor families undergoing heart surgery in Shanghai. For donated items, 100 percent of the proceeds go to Heart to Heart Shanghai.
Volunteers Needed
Secondhand children’s items sold at the event Photos: Chen Shasha/GT
The team said that it usually takes one month to prepare a sale. “It takes us two to three weeks before the sale day to collect all the sellers’ information and items, prepare the labels and packages for donated items and gather volunteers,” said Emma, another member of the team, “and one week after the sale to work out how much to be given back to sellers and how much to be donated.”
At least 15 volunteers are also needed to help with the event. They help go through the items one by one to categorize them. When the sale begins, volunteers also help communicate with locals who don’t speak English. After the sale, they sort out all the remaining items.
Secondhand children’s items sold at the event Photos: Chen Shasha/GT
“Without volunteers, we cannot make it,” Lenka said. “And the sale place is also provided by SRCA for free. We even have a printer and some boxes which were donated.”
According to Lenka, they donate 30,000 yuan to every child who requires heart surgery. In addition to the cash donation, the team also donates unsold items to Heart to Heart Shanghai, who help distribute them at hospitals, schools and villages.
The team also uses WeChat to sell items, including furniture, electrical appliances and musical instruments, with 15 percent of the proceeds going to charity.
