New Hospice op shop coming to town

JULIA WADE

29 Nov, 2023

Op shop lovers and supporters of good causes now have another local store to find a bargain while helping those in need with the very-soon-to-be opening of the North Haven Hospice shop in Mangawhai.

Located in the Village at 41c Moir Street opposite Carters, and with a December 5 opening date, new local volunteers are currently busy sorting and displaying box-loads of donated clothing and home decor, ready to turn the quality second-hand goods into first-class care.

Guided and assisted by North Haven Hospice [NHH] satellite shop coordinator Kathy McMillan and retail services manager Murray Annear – who is highly-experienced in charity and second-hand retail management as well as handy at DIY, prepping and painting the store himself – will also oversee the new premises.

“I’m really looking forward to it, we’re keen to be involved more with the community,” he says.

“We're having a ‘soft opening’ on the fifth first, to train volunteers, get them used to people dropping off donations, all that sort of thing, just slowly working into it, bring it all together, and then on Wednesday the 13th, we'll have an official opening with cutting the ribbon and a barbecue around 11.30am.”

Although initially the new store is stocked with items provided by other NHH central shops, Murray says ‘a ton of donations’ has already been brought in by locals. To date, six volunteers have signed up to work in the store, however as the charity retailer will be open six days, “we are looking for more to be part of this new venture.”

“We always need people willing to lend their experience and skills on a regular basis to help us out, whether it’s sorting donations and putting them out, merchandising to make the donated goods look great or welcoming people and making the sales, we really rely on and appreciate our very generous volunteers.”

NHH require approximately $3 million annually raised through donations and events – over $55,000 per week or $8000 per day – to keep their vital services free-of-charge and to bridge the gap between current Government funding and the cost of provided services.

People living in east Kaipara and Bream Bay communities from Mangawhai, Kaiwaka, Maungaturoto and Langs Beach are within NHH’s wider catchment area for the nearest hospice in Tikipunga which is supported by the organisations charity shops in Whangarei and Waipu, as well as homecare.

NHH CEO Helen Blaxland says the service provides care for people in these communities including supporting their families, whanau and carers through challenging times.

“Our nurses are out in the community every day as we have approximately 180 people we support at any one time. These are people with life-limiting or terminal illness, not just cancer patients and can be any age,” she says.

“We’re just delighted to have found premises for a small charity shop to operate in the Moir Street shopping area and hope to be able to tell our story of who we are and what we do even more.”

■ Interested in volunteering for Mangawhai Hospice op shop? Drop into the store at Moir Street and pick up a volunteer pack.

Mangawhai’s new North Haven Hospice charity op shop opens soon thanks to the time and energy generously volunteered by locals and staff. Pictured from left, volunteer Rowena Clare, NHH satellite shop coordinator Kathy McMillan, volunteers Heather Martinovich and Carol Marianne, and NHH retail services manager Murray Annear. PHOTO/JULIA WADE