Last Tuesday morning, 14 volunteers gathered for the weekly Sorting Party at Acton-Boxborough Resource Center (ABRC). The volunteers greeted each other by name, clearly happy to be together again after a summer break. This is a weekly event that attracts up to 20 volunteers each week. They gather to open about a hundred bags of donated clothing and personal items that the community drops off at the outdoor bin at 15 Charter Road in Acton.
Volunteers chat with each other as they confer about the items they are sorting. “Check the zipper,” a veteran sorter reminds a newcomer as they work together to ensure that the articles that end up in the shop are the best quality. Another volunteer shares a fun Halloween costume, challenging their workmates to try it on. There is a lot of laughter and chatter at the sorting tables. A newcomer volunteer said, “Thanks to the warm group of volunteers and positive atmosphere, I hope to be back more this school year.”
Acton-Boxborough Resource Center relies on these engaged volunteers to help stock and keep their upscale boutique running, though everything there is free for the taking. A donations-based organization, the shop offers everything from shoes to coats for women, men and children, all of it free. It even provides brand new underwear and socks for their visitors.
Beyond offering a tidy, well-organized boutique, ABRC also provides helpful information regarding accessing food, transportation, translation services, and help with registering for schools, among other things. The shop and services are available to anyone who considers themselves part of the Acton or Boxborough communities.
The ABRC holds its Sorting Parties every Tuesday from 10-11:30 a.m. The boutique is open for shopping and drop-in volunteering Monday-Thursday 10-3, with extended hours on Wednesdays until 7 p.m. They hold drop-in Conversation Circles for English language learners Monday-Thursday at 1 p.m. and Wednesdays at 6 p.m.
All are welcome at an Open House on September 10, 5-7 p.m. to learn more and to see the boutique.
Piña Madera is the volunteer coordinator and project manager at AB Community Compass, (formerly the AB United Way).