Oosterland Child and Youth Care Centre (CYCC) in Despatch recently revived its charity shop, OJ’s Charity Shop, which was first initiated in 2014 as a sustainability exercise for the centre. Oosterland CYCC is a non-profit organisation which constantly sources and looks for sustainability initiatives.
Sharing with UD Express, the Director of the CYCC, Chantelle Jonker, said, “We always try to find new ways in which Oosterland can be more sustainable and not solely dependent on funding. Although we get funding from the Department of Social Development, we often find ourselves having to fundraise additional funds as well.”
Reviving and reopening the charity shop was one of the approaches the CYCC developed to become more sustainable. Jonker added, “We asked for donations from the public, and we sell what we cannot utilise for the children of Oosterland.”
Friday, April 25 marked the revival and reopening of the shop. Jonker said that they had received funding within the Oosterland Trust, which means the CYCC cannot just utilise the funds where it sees fit, like buying food for the children. However, funding that comes from the trust can only be spent on sustainability initiatives, like rebranding the CYCC, revamping the charity shop, etc., and the profit thereon goes towards the Oosterland CYCC.
Jonker added that she hopes to see more community involvement at the CYCC. “We are looking for volunteers who can come and assist the shop. Be it retirees or someone who wants to give back to the community, they are more than welcome to reach out to the CYCC. Unfortunately, those volunteers will not be compensated and we are looking for more donations as well. We cannot have a charity shop filled with items which we have to buy. The idea is, donors can come and drop off the items they have no use for anymore, or we can come and collect them ourselves to sell.”
She hopes that this initiative can grow to greater heights where they can turn a profit. So far, the initiative generates a clean profit, but she is hopeful that in the future it will grow further.
Jonker also added that one of her greatest fears leading up to the reopening has unfortunately come true. Despite receiving wonderful donations to stock the shelves initially, opening day saw locals purchase almost everything in the store. The wide variety of items: from clothing and jewellery to mini side tables, flew off the shelves within hours. “We need to fill the shelves again now,” Jonker explained, as the success of their first day has left them in need of new donations again.
Sharing his reason for being involved with the CYCC for 13 years, Karel Minni; a longstanding citizen of Kariega for 75 years, owner and managing director of Algoa Logistics, and one of the main donors of the charity shop, said he used to make donations elsewhere but never saw a tangible result from it.
“The way I felt was like a bottomless pit – you donate your money, but you never see where it goes. When I learnt about Oosterland, I came to assist because it’s on my doorstep. The children that the CYCC helps are from our community and whenever I want, I can come here and see where my donation goes. Like this charity shop, it is tangible, and I feel proud of that. I have never been sorry that I came here,” Minni said.
He added, “We also sponsor one of the houses at this place where other people reside and the stories you hear can sometimes bring tears to your eyes. Sometimes you have little kids who cling onto you as you arrive – that is such a great feeling – doing something good for someone else. That is why I am at Oosterland and I am enjoying it. For as long as I live, I will be with Oosterland. I just want this place to improve continuously.”
Minni said that the reopening of the charity shop is one of the highlights of his 13 years with Oosterland. “Today, I can actually see where my donation went. In prior years, I knew it went to good use, but I couldn’t pinpoint where exactly my donation was used. However, the reopening of the charity shop is proof to me that my donation to the CYCC is going to good use. This place now has a very special place in my heart.”
Jonker said, “Volunteers can visit our office and speak to either me or Annelie who is the fundraiser. At the moment, the shop opens on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays from 11:00 until 15:00, and we would like to see it being operational every day but unfortunately, as things stand, we do not have enough people to have it open every day. We cannot spend money on salaries, so those that volunteer would be doing so without pay.”
For more information, call the CYCC on 041 933 1120 or send an email to director@oosterland.org.za.
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