BUMC Whale of a Sale Rummage Sale Set for Aug. 2-6
By Julie Perine on July 27, 2024
Brand-name bags, best-selling books, fine China and everything in between is available for purchase at the Bridgeport United Methodist Church “Whale of a Sale” starting Friday, Aug. 2.
“This is the only fundraiser we do, and it benefits so many organizations that help women, children and youth which is part of the mission of United Women in Faith,” said Cheryl Bramble, organization president and Whale of a Sale chair.
Located at the church on 251 Worthington Drive, Bridgeport, the sale will be open 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Friday, Aug. 2 and Saturday, Aug. 3. Closed Sunday, the sale resumes on Monday, Aug. 5, which is half-price day and concludes with “bag day”, 9-11 a.m. on Tues., Aug 6. Shoppers can choose a brown paper bag or 30-gallon trash bag to fill with items and be charged a flat rate per bag.
Benefiting from the four-day sale will be the Harrison County Backpack Food Program, Bi-County Nutrition, Burlington Family Services, CASA, Bridgeport Little League Challenger Division, the Clarksburg Mission, Duff Street United Methodist Church Food Pantry, Flood Buckets for UMCORE, Genesis Youth Center, Good Will Industries (coming and get all left over), Health Access, Heart & Hand House, Hope, Inc., Salvation Army, Scott’s Run Settlement House, Shepherd’s Corner, Upshur Parish, Open Heart Ministry, and Sleep in Heavenly Peace.
The sale also benefits various missionaries, as well as scholarships for the BUMC preschool and after-school programs. Shoe boxes donated to the sale are saved for Operation Christmas Child and appropriate leftover dresses and jewelry are donated to local high schools for homecomings and proms. Leftover books are donated to the Bridgeport Presbyterian Church book sale and many items are donated to Good Will.
All merchandise is donated by church members and area residents. Last year’s sale netted around $18,000. The sale is also a good project for the church community as volunteers of all ages work together for the cause.
But as the name of the event implies, it is a major undertaking. Volunteers spend hours, days and weeks sifting through donations, organizing and pricing them. The result is an appealing sale which is set up like a store with various departments. It is a true labor of love.
“We have such good donations this year. We started collecting them May 1 and ended May 29,” Bramble said. “We have clothes – a lot of kids’ clothes – shoes, purses, furniture, linens, baby items, glassware, dishes, some China, silver, some collectives and so many Christmas decorations.”
Other departments include jewelry, toys, recreation, décor, craft supplies, furniture, small appliances, puzzles and lamps.
The sale is always embraced by the community.
“First of all, I think it’s because proceeds go to charity. We always list the organizations which benefit and a lot of people, when they realize it is for charity, want to give us extra or tell us to keep the change,” Bramble said. “Also, our sale is so well organized, and we have a reputation for that. Even people from Clarksburg and Fairmont talk about the big sale at the big church. We also have quality items at reasonable prices. With the economy the way it is, we know families are having difficulty buying groceries and other things which are so high right now.”
Having the sale close to back-to-school time with so many nice clothes and even Halloween costumes for sale is another plus, Bramble said.
For the past several years, the sale has been held to coincide with Bridgeport's citywide yard sale.
“We felt like it would bring out more people, since many are already out,” Bramble said.
The sale is held in the church gymnasium, accessible via the back entrance. Plenty of parking will be available.
