Somewhere around 1,500 shoppers flocked to the North Shore Oct. 3, making a beeline for the longstanding, famous rummage sale at Christ Church in Winnetka.
More than 300 volunteers sorted, organized, and ran checkout counters, collecting a whopping $329,000, and counting, that will be disbursed to dozens of non-profit agencies throughout Chicagoland.
While those numbers are important, another really big number was on everyone’s mind this year —100. Started in 1924, the rummage sale, considered by many the granddaddy of rummage sales in Chicagoland, one that bargain hunters circle on their calendars, hit the century mark.
“It was Year 100, and people wanted to be here on a monumental occasion,” said Karen Forsberg, director of rummage at the church, who reported the day went smoothly, helped along by beautiful weather.
She had an even more remarkable number to offer: “Over the 100 years rummage has been operating (at Christ Church), we estimate we’ve raised $15 million, changing tens of thousands of lives, perhaps more.”
Volunteers sort merchandise into 30-plus departments, such as men’s, women’s and holiday.
This year for the first time, the church asked agencies who receive grants from the sale’s proceeds to set up tables on Winnetka’s Village Green.
“It was the first time we hosted a grant recipient fair to show the shopper the full cycle of what we do. People donate the items, we sell them, they (the agencies) apply for grants and then can help other people,” Forsberg said. “It was a full circle moment.”
Last year, 56 agencies received grants, and more than half came to set up a table this year.
The agencies offer myriad services: disability assistance, ex-offender assistance, hunger relief, homeless services, job assistance, mental health services, senior assistance, youth anti-violence, youth arts, youth education and youth inclusion, among others.
“We are an Episcopal church so there are Episcopal agencies that we support,” Forsberg said. “We don’t turn away anyone if they’re not a religious organization. If they meet the criteria, we’re happy to help them.”
Nonprofit agencies can apply for grants, and starting around January, a church committee considers applications and decides how to allot funding, then the church cuts checks to the agencies in May, Forsberg said.
The next rummage sale, the summer version, will be held Saturday, June 7 from 8 a.m. until noon at 470 Maple St., Winnetka. The church will begin accepting donations in November. Find more information on that, and the grants, at https://www.christchurchwinnetka.org/serve-with-us.