Op shop celebrates 50 years of helping

An op shop that is known for helping ‘‘everyone and anyone’’ is celebrating 50 years in Ha¯ wera.

The Saint Vincent de Paul Op Shop, known as Vinnie’s Boutique to some, has been in town for five decades and helped many people in that time.

In the past year alone the Ha¯ wera store has provided tens of thousands of dollars for international natural disaster relief and helped many locals in need whether it be a power bill or food parcel.

Barbara Fowler has been volunteering at the store for 27 years and said she thought it’s probably one of the oldest stores in town.

The store has been based at 243 High St for the past 24 years but had been in other premises before that.

Barbara Hurcomb and Ruth Rangiwahia also volunteer at the store alongside 40 others and said it’s not like every other op shop, and never has been.

‘‘The op shop started in 1967,’’ Hurcomb said. ‘‘Before I came I had different visions of an op shop, and once you come here it’s totally different.

‘‘The people who shop here it’s everybody.’’

Rangiwahia said Vinnie’s Boutique had a point of difference.

‘‘We're not specific to any one particular cause.’’ Ruth Rangiwahia

‘‘We’re not specific to any one particular cause,’’ she said.

‘‘People think that our funds go to the church but it actually doesn’t.

‘‘We’re actually here for everybody.’’

The op shop regularly raises money for the Ha¯ wera foodbank and the volunteers come together once a month to decide where the rest of the funds will go.

Rangiwahia said they recently gave $10,000 to Haiti and $10,000 to Kathmandu for natural disaster relief and also $6000 to Tonga for 10 new toilets.

However, a lot goes out the community too.

‘‘The district health nurse may come to us if she has a family in need,’’ Rangiwahia said. ‘‘We’ve provided a new washing machine for somebody, a dryer for somebody else.

‘‘And then we have people that are travelling to Starship hospital and things like that - we’ll give petrol vouchers.

‘‘We’ve also paid for a funeral in this past year.’’

Rangiwahia said all the funds they raised came from their little shop, but they couldn’t do it without the generosity of others.

‘‘It’s thanks to people who give us the goods to enable us to do that,’’ she said.

The women were all very happy to be celebrating the store’s half-century achievement.

JANE MATTHEWS/STUFF Op Shop volunteers Ruth Rangiwahia, Barbara Fowler and Barbara Hurcomb are very happy to be part of the half-century celebrations.