“We try to repurpose as much as we can.”
Fueled by coffee and cookies, a dedicated group of volunteers at Bethany United Methodist Church, Hayes, meets every Thursday morning to make old items new again, through a process called upcycling, to sell at the annual church bazaar held the second Saturday in November.
The church then donates the earnings from the bazaar to local nonprofit groups. A total of $14,000 was donated from last year’s bazaar earnings.
“It’s pretty impressive,” said church member Judy Burner. Several years ago, the church raised and donated $22,000.
By taking a peek inside the church bazaar workshop, outsiders can see volunteers making domino necklaces, restoring doll furniture, fluffing artificial Christmas tree branches for wreaths, and even ironing decorative napkins onto bare candles.
“A lot of our church members donate stuff,” said Burner, about not only finished projects, but also supplies to make new items.
Making pieces for each year’s bazaar begins the first...