I’ve been around REACH of Haywood County for a long time. I’ve served as board chair, volunteered for years, and these days, one of the places you’re most likely to find me is a couple of days a week is at the back of Within REACH, our thrift store in Hazelwood.
I’m one of the guys helping you schlep bags, boxes, furniture and all sorts of donated treasures out of your car and into the back bay where we sort through everything that comes in.
And let me say this first: We are incredibly grateful.
Every donation matters. Revenue from Within REACH helps fund vital local services for survivors of domestic violence, sexual assault, and other forms of abuse. When you donate to us, you are helping support programs that stay right here in Haywood County.
But there is another part of the story that many donors never see.
I am often asked, “Do you take this?” or “Can you use this?” We take a lot of things, but we cannot sell everything. Sometimes an item is perfectly usable but does not quite meet our standards for the sales floor. Sometimes we have more of something than we can reasonably sell. Sometimes an item simply fits another organization’s needs better than ours.
That does not mean it goes to waste.
One of the things I am most proud of is the network of relationships that has grown between Within REACH and other nonprofits throughout Haywood County. Especially since Hurricane Helene, we have become even more intentional about asking a simple question when something cannot go onto our floor: Who else can use this?
Our volunteers now make roughly five to seven deliveries each week to other nonprofit organizations.
Sturdy seasonal clothing can go to Bethel House to support people experiencing homelessness. Blankets, clothing, linens, housewares, and kitchen items may go to Friendship House for individuals and families facing hardship. Shopping bags, diapers, and other essentials may go to Second Seasons. Towels, blankets, and comforters that are too worn for resale can still serve an important purpose at the Haywood County Animal Shelter. There is even a woman who we save flannel sheets for, who turns this material into reusable sanitary napkins that are sent across the United States and the world.
Sometimes those connections allow us to move very large donations where they can do the most good. After Hurricane Helene, Within REACH received a truckload of new children’s socks and underwear. It was far more than we could reasonably sell, so we connected those items with Clothes to Kids in Clyde just as they were reopening after the storm. What was excess inventory for us became several months of supplies for another local nonprofit.
That is what community looks like to me.
Small nonprofits do not operate in isolation. We know one another. We hear about needs. We share resources. We make phone calls. We connect people. We try to make sure that something useful does not go to waste simply because it is not the right fit for us.
REACH never loses sight of its primary mission to support survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault, but we also recognize that helping strengthen Haywood County means supporting the larger nonprofit community whenever we can.
So the next time you pull around back at Within REACH and see one of us coming out to help unload your car, know that your donation may have more than one life.
It may become revenue that helps keep a survivor safe. It may become clothing for someone experiencing homelessness. It may become bedding for an animal shelter, diapers for a family, or supplies for another nonprofit.
Your generosity does not stop at our back door. It moves through the community. And that is one of the reasons donating locally matters so much.
If this sounds like something you want to be part of, we would love to have you join us. Within REACH is always looking for volunteers, especially on Saturdays, but truly, any amount of time helps. Whether you can give a few hours, help sort donations, assist customers or lend a hand in the back, your time makes a difference.
And of course, we encourage you to keep donating. You can bring donations to Within REACH at 456 Hazelwood Avenue in Waynesville. Just take the gravel alley around to the back of the store, and one of us will be there to help you unload.
Anyone with questions can call 828.454.5998.