The decision to keep Creston Gleaners Too open and in operation was made by volunteers and the board of directors of the Creston Valley Gleaners Society during an Oct. 14 meeting.
“We want to stay open. We had a fair number of new people in the community who had expressed interest in coming on as volunteers. That’s what keeps us going, the volunteers,” said Elaine Keeling, a volunteer and former board member of the Gleaners Society.
Over 50 people attended Wednesday’s meeting, which Keeling said is a reflection of the business’s value in the community.
“It tells us that the community recognizes how much good we do for the community and how important we are,” she said. “Plus, pride in knowing that we’re keeping things out of the landfill and we’re accomplishing something that helps the whole community.”
Gleaners Too has been temporarily closed since September due to a shortage of volunteers, and Keeling said that she is hopeful that they now have enough volunteers to keep the business viable.
READ MORE: Creston Gleaners Too closed until further notice, won’t return in September
“We’ve got people who have stepped up to take on different aspects of organizing it. I can’t say solidly when we’ll be ready to open, but we’re hoping soon. It’s just a matter of getting all your ducks in a row,” she said.
She added that doors could be open as early as the end of October, although that isn’t guaranteed.
“People will want to be shopping there for Christmas. If not the end of the month, early into November,” she said.
With a return looming, she asked that the community be mindful and not use Gleaners Too as a place to dump unrepairable, unsalvageable and unsellable items.
“[Dump fees] cost us a lot of money, money that could go back to community programs,” she said. “We put back over $100,000 into this community every year. It doesn’t help that we have to pay dump fees.”
Do you have something to add to this story, or something else we should report on? Email: aaron.hemens@crestonvalleyadvance.ca
@aaron_hemens
aaron.hemens@crestonvalleyadvance.ca
Like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter.