“It’s been a great morning,” said Jean Plesko, stepping away from Meramec Bluffs’ crowded community room for a breather. The expression on her face is a mix of exhaustion, bewilderment, and pride at a job well done. And with good cause – the community’s Treasures Unlimited rummage sale was in the middle of a record-breaking whirlwind morning of sales that brought in $9,000 for local and international charities.
All year long, Jean and her fellow residents take donations from supporters of Meramec Bluffs. The day of the sale, the halls of the community are lined with furnishings. The community room itself is loaded with tables full of small appliances, books, and other treasures, as well as aisle after aisle of secondhand clothing. The biannual sale caps a six-month fundraising cycle, during which the residents brought in $18,000. Half of that total was made the morning of the sale.
“We get thousands and thousands of donations,” she said. “When people move out, they donate a lot of things to the sale, and we make the most of them.” The benefits of the program are threefold — Treasures Unlimited helps families by taking unwanted excess furnishings, it helps Meramec Bluffs by supporting improvements to the community, and it helps society at large, both through the funds it generates for charities and through the sale of goods to consumers at low prices.
The list of causes Treasures Unlimited benefits is considerable. Unsold nonperishable food items go to Circle of Concern food bank. Medical equipment and supplies go to Wings of Hope. Books go to the Missouri Eastern Correctional Center Library. The list goes on and on. And a portion of the funds raised from sale of the items supports Lutheran Senior Services Benevolent Care, which helps Meramec Bluffs residents who outlive their ability to pay for the care they receive.
The sale is a terrific example of the kind of servant-hearted spirit shared by the people who call Meramec Bluffs home. The whole community has gotten behind Treasures Unlimited in a big way, Jean says. “This couldn’t take place without the help of the residents and staff,” she says. “We had 50 people in here yesterday opening boxes. It’s really amazing to see everyone come out and pitch in for the cause.”
Mark your calendar for the next sale –coming up Oct. 10—and then click below to see pictures from the day’s event!
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