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RECYCLED, PRE-LOVED, RETRO, VINTAGE, ECO-FRIENDLY, COLLECTABLE, AFFORDABLE TREASURES!
If
you love op-shopping & hunting for a bargain you’ll find it all here in Nambour
Clothing • Furniture • Books • Movies
Bric-a-Brac • Music • Magazines •
Shoes
Toys • Baby & Kids Stuff • Jewellery • Homewares • Lots more Stuff!
 Within Nambour’s Town Centre alone, there’s a variety of
9 different RECYCLE Shops, (see the list on right) all busy raising funds to assist a great range of worthy charities. In fact, Nambour is an ‘op shopper’s paradise.’ A
virtual treasure trove, where you can hunt, forage & browse for hours with the satisfaction of ending up with a basketful of bargains, with the added bonus of knowing you are also assisting a worthy cause. Exploring the main
shopping area, amongst the regular array of unique specialty shops, and the larger commercial centres, you will discover a choice of well-presented charitable shops, all doing their bit to assist those less fortunate. Staffed
mainly by cheerful volunteers, who welcome you to come in and browse a while – choosing to give their time, energy & commitment by providing a variety of services to the public on a regular basis.
 Some of these dedicated citizens have been working for the charity of their choice for well over a decade,
observing many changes around the township with the ongoing growth of the surrounding district of Nambour. The popularity of the services they present for the public which benefits both the customer and the charity alike,
enables a win-win situation for all concerned. The reward to the selfless volunteer is the simple satisfaction of knowing their efforts are appreciated not only by the organisation & the community, but that everything they do
will make a small difference to someone in a positive way.
  You’ll be pleased to know Opportunity Shops are no
longer the dingy, daggy places stuck in the past that used to reek of mothballs! Today they have moved with the times & are well organised, clean, bright & have really lifted their presentation. If you haven’t
been to an ‘op shop’ for a while, venture in—you’ll be pleasantly surprised! There’s so much to choose from including quality clothing from everyday wear, to workwear to after-5 glam, all
categorised in easy-to-negotiate displays plus a myriad of shoes, belts, knick-knacks, homewares, books, records, games, furniture & other goods you may not readily find elsewhere, all at really affordable prices. The
friendly staff you meet in the retail section of the shops are only a small selection of the many volunteers working diligently behind the scenes. There’s volunteers sorting,
ironing, checking & repairing – volunteer drivers picking up donations from generous local residents and delivering larger sold items: these are only a few of the tasks happily undertaken by the volunteer workforce, who enjoy
their work together in a social environment with the cameraderie of fellow staff where it’s easy for long-term friendships to develop.
In addition to the opportunity shops, there’s a variety of other services locally available to those in need by the good people of the
Salvation Army who cover a range of services, including counselling. Global Care has a Drop-In Centre for the lonely where a cup of coffee or a game of pool can be enjoyed. In the background
you’ll find a group of willing workers generously preparing healthy meals & providing clothing & the basic neccessities of life most of us take for granted.
 Recently some of Nambour’s unsung heroes were rewarded for their generosity when Karl Stefanovic, Scott Cam and Simmone Jade Mackinnon from the Channel 9
show ‘Random Acts of Kindness’ helped the good people at The Shack make their dreams come true.
Pastor Dale Dowler runs The Shack, a community drop-in centre where every week at least 200 people come
through his doors. The Shack ministry located in Price Street, Nambour is devoted to helping anyone in need. The Shack is run by Pastor Dale Dowler and his wife Donna plus an excellent team of volunteers from the
community. Dale and Donna are also the Kidz Conx (Sunday School) team leaders at Nambour Baptist.
St Vincent de Paul Society among their many community works, provide accommodation for men at Ozanam House, for those who
are experiencing difficulties or are in distress, often through unexpected circumstances not of their own making. These essential services are provided with
empathy and true community spirit to assist families and single people of all ages while allowing them to maintain their sense of pride and dignity. The Endeavour Foundation
assists people with disabilities through their Endos Stores, while other organisations such as Global Care enable overseas children with disabilities to achieve a better lifestyle free from disfiguring birth afflictions.
Lifeline raise funds for their many community works including their telephone counselling service on the Sunshine Coast through the ongoing support from the Opportunity Shops. All these outlets are generously
supplied with goods from the community to onsell to the general public.
Bloomhill Cancer Help Centre raises funds through their stores on the Sunshine Coast to assist those dealing with the effects of cancer
and their carers, providing support for families with a varied range of services available on the Sunshine Coast area. Meals on Wheels and The Red Cross
volunteers, among many others, make life a little easier for many local residents.
 Helping Children Smile Charity Boutique opened in Howard St Nambour in 2009 after being
originally located in Queen St. Funds raised by this organisation go directly to help provide reconstructive cleft lip & cleft palate surgery to children in the Philippines. Helping Children Smile
has restored the smiles of over 600 happy children since their first mission in 1996! This friendly store has a pleasant atmosphere & you can choose from just about about anything including bric-a-brac,
DVD’s/CD’s & books - but it is best known for its large range of clothing from everyday wear to designer fashion & if you’re lucky - even vintage retro pieces. The boutique has been successful in the
Nambour Lights Up competition held at Christmas as the volunteers are a very dedicated bunch who take great pride in their store’s presentation. Having said that, if you are looking to
volunteer, they tell us they can always do with a few more pairs of helping hands!!
Visit their website to find out how you can help children smile by sponsoring a child for
as little as $21 a month. Also when you shop at Cornett’s IGA Nambour, swipe the Community Chest Tag for Helping Children Smile & assist with raising funds for this worthy charity or just shop at the charity shop!. www.helpingchildrensmile.org.au
 There are a multitude of other good citizens within the
variety of church groups and clubs all working toward making our community a caring place to live. Apart from the organised groups, there are the people in all communities we never hear about, the unsung heroes who
without fuss or recognition go about assisting others in their own quiet and gentle way, making a difference to one person at a time. Without these quiet achievers we call our friends, neighbours
and family members, the quality and everyday enjoyment of many lives would be diminished in a major way.
 For those housebound through age, illness, or injury, a phone call or a smiling face at the door can make a world
of difference. We all need human interaction to keep a positive frame of mind in these busy and stressful times – there is always someone we can help to brighten up an otherwise long and lonely day. It is a sad reflection on our
times to know that many people cannot remember the last time they received a hug or a comforting word.
 Take a minute to notice those
around you, it’s not difficult to assist an elderly person at the lights crossing a busy street or open a door for someone, it’s simple & instinctive common courtesy. Spread some smiles around town — it costs
nothing & you will get a free one back in return! Warm & fuzzy empathy feels so much better than bitter, grumpy ignorance! Good things magically happen as your positive karma goes around & comes around. Just try it.
Start today & pay it forward!!!
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