Williamstown Elementary PTO to Hold Used Clothing Sale Saturday
WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass. — The 10th annual Williamstown Elementary School PTO used clothing sale benefits the elementary school but offers merchandise for kids of all ages.
“We do have a lot of junior high- and high school-sized clothes,” organizer Cecilia Hirsch said last week. “I think people think that we don’t. They think it’s just elementary school-sized things. But we have donations from families whose children are at the high school. We do have those size 18s and stuff.
“People do come from far and wide to donate, and they’ve made it a regular part of their routine. There are people who don’t bring their kids’ clothes anywhere else, which is nice.”
The twice-yearly sale returns Saturday, May 14, from 8:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. in the school’s cafeteria.
Clothes to fit babies through teens along with special items like bedding and diaper bags can found -- typically at rock bottom prices.
Last week, Hirsch took a break from sorting and pricing items to talk about the program’s success and its place in the school community.
She has been around for most of the sales -- ever since organizers approached her in year two to ask about using her barn to store donations. Typically, the sale brings in about $6,000 each date (the fall and spring), so about $12,000 to $13,000 per year.
Hirsch said the most lucrative sale day brought in about $8,800, and she jokes that she wants to see one break $10,000 before she “retires.”
That money is more important than ever at the school at a time when the PTO can step in to help support things that otherwise might fall victim to budget cuts.
“I think as I sat through some of the recent School Committee meetings, I felt very reassured that we do have this steady income and incredible support for this sale,” Hirsch said. “If we did put out a call and said we now have to fund all of Lego Robotics through this sale, people would come out. And people do come out, but I think they’d come out even more
“I think it’s an incredibly supportive sale, and people recognize the money does go directly to these programs.”
Tags: clothing, WES,
