There are lots of communities that host city-wide rummage sale events and there are lots of individual rummage sales for specific charities. Some events may have a charitable component like a food shelf donation as admission or their sale leftovers may be donated to a charity, but our 5^th Bridge Goods for Good event in Northfield is the only city-wide rummage sale event that is all about charity and philanthropy. Every site selects the charity or cause that will benefit from their sales proceeds and agrees to give at least 50% of the money raised to that charity. The goods to sell are donated by friends, families, or neighbors and any leftover goods are then picked up by a charity.

This year is the 5^th anniversary of the 5^th Bridge Goods for Good Event and it was our best year ever, collectively raising over $14,500 for various charities.  The event was held last weekend (Friday and Saturday) and 16 sites participated. The weather was fantastic on Friday and soggy on Saturday, but garage sale shoppers are a hardy bunch and most if not all of our sales were indoors. People who hosted sites were able to simplify their lives by getting rid of unwanted items, volunteering their time to organize a sale and raising money for their favorite charities. People who shopped where able to purchase things they needed or wanted at affordable prices, and discover hidden treasures. Charitable groups, clubs, churches and other good causes received donations of new money that didn’t take away from any other existing fund raising efforts. All in all it was a huge success. Here is a recap:

Site #1 was hosted by the Taylor’s and friends and raised $713.26 for the Community Action Center. “We love hosting these sales as it allows us to make a much larger donation then we could from our normal budget and the CAC is a very worthy cause”.

The Haider Family hosted site #2 and will be donating $122 to the Northfield Art’s Guild Theater, Bright Idea Campaign.

Site #3 raised $700 to benefit Minnesota Teen Challenge, a faith based residential rehabilitation program to help teens and adults who struggle with substance abuse.

Site #4 was host by friends of the Prairie’s Edge Humane Society and raised over $1800 to support their programs. They did not price any of their items, instead they asked for donations…and people generously gave what they were able to give. Prairie’s Edge Humane Society Director Kathy Jasnoch said “not only did this sale help us raise money for the animals; it also allowed us the opportunity to tell people about our programs and to promote other upcoming events”.

Site #5 was hosted by the friends and families of the Northfield Montessori School and they raised a total of $650 at their sale. They also donated a couple car loads of baby/kids’ stuff to a local crisis nursery.

The Northeast Side Neighborhood Association hosted site #6 and raised money to support the TORCH (Tackling Obstacles and Raising College Hopes), a program at the High School helping kids who may be first generation of their family to go to college. They made $1428.85 at their sale and an anonymous donor pledged to match their sales, bringing their total charitable donation to a whopping $2857.70.

Site #7was hosted by the United Methodist Women and friends and they made $1950 from selling goods to benefit mission causes.

Site#8 raised $1213.10 to benefit Friends of Three Links Auxiliary by selling goods that where donated by residents, employees, and families.

Site #9 raised $75 for the Community Action Center.

Site #10 was hosted by a group of friends and their families and they raised $160 for the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure.

The friends of St. Dominic School hosted site #11 and they raised $1600 to support their school. They have the coolest collapsible clothes racks that were built by a volunteer, long ago, and get used year after year.

Vicky Stigen and other members of the Evangelical Free Church hosted site #12 and raised $468.83 to support their youth programs.

Volunteers of the Northfield Union of Youth gleaned items from the Northfield Clean up Days to sell at their Goods for Good sale. Their site #13 raised $415, from junk bound for the dump, to support their youth programs.

Site #14 was hosted by Penny Hillemann and friends and raised $120.60 which will be split between the Community Action Center and Prairie’s Edge Humane Society.

The Hurlbert family and member of the NHS Tennis team hosted site #15 and raised $310.50 for the Tennis Team and the Pine Tree Apple Tennis Classic which supports pediatric cancer research. Elizabeth remarked that, “we had garage sales before this but by being a part of this event; we had so much more traffic than ever before”.

Site #16 was a last minute addition, but they were all stars. The sale was hosted by the 3^rd Graders at Bridgewater. They raised an incredible $1189.87 for Prairie’s Edge Humane Society.

Many sites also donated a small portion of their proceeds to 5^th Bridge to help offset our expenses of running this event. Thank you!!!!

Thank you to everyone who hosted a sale, volunteered their time to help work a sale, donated goods to sell, or supported our Goods for Good sales by shopping. A special thank you goes out to Neuger Communications, Northfield News, Therese Kitzman, Leah Rich, Heather Kuchinka, Tim Jackson, and the City of Northfield for their assistance in making this event a success.

If your family, book club, sports team, church, non-profit organization, or neighborhood didn’t get the chance to participate in Goods for Good this year, make a note and plan on participating next year (the event is generally held the weekend before Mother’s Day Weekend). If your group already hosts an annual garage sale that benefits charity (or would be willing to give at least half your proceeds to the charity of your choice), consider aligning your sale with Goods for Good (our event weekend is not carved in stone). The bigger this event gets the more everyone will succeed.

Also, keep in mind that you can host a garage sale anytime and donate the proceeds to charity.

For more information about other volunteer opportunities visit www.5thbrige.org

Toolkit for Sites

Fact Sheet
Printable Signup Form
Printable Site Sign
Tips For Your Sale
What Sells and What Doesn't Sell