On Saturday, March 30, the MOMS Club of Mint Hill held a rummage sale to support member Jinna Bryant, who is currently undergoing treatment for breast cancer. There was also a bake sale offering up homemade goodies like brownies, cookies, cupcakes and banana bread.
Service is one of the pillars of MOMS Club International, a nonprofit organization based in California. Local MOMS Club chapters like the one based in Mint Hill are required to undertake and complete at least one charitable, humanitarian or social welfare project that benefits needy children in their community every year.
The MOMS Club of Mint Hill has gone above and beyond in recent years, completing service projects nearly every month. In January of 2019, MOMS Club International presented the local chapter with an award for “Outstanding Overall Service Program.”
Although member-driven initiatives like the rummage sale fall outside the scope of official MOMS Club-sponsored service projects, they’re representative of the spirit of the club and it’s members. The acronymous name stands for “Moms Offering Moms Support.” Supporting Bryant is exactly what Jennifer Allen, the driving force behind the rummage sale, had in mind for Saturday.
“Jinna is like a sister to me,” says Allen, who came up with the idea for a rummage sale, “and I want to help in any way that I can. This seemed like something I could do to have a real impact. As a club we are always buying and selling and trading things with each other. Most of us are environmentally and financially conscious, so we like to buy second hand. And with the huge Marie Kondo trend right now, I figured it would be a good way for people to declutter their own lives and help someone else at the same time.”
The rummage sale featured clothes, shoes, toys, dishes, decorations, blankets, towels, rugs, pet items and more. A majority of the donations were collected from MOMS Club members. Jewelry was one of the biggest sellers of the day; every piece of jewelry set out for sale was purchased.
Allen estimates 50-60 people shopped the rummage sale, netting over $500 after facility rental fees. 100% of the funds raised will go directly to Bryant and her husband. Fundraisers like this help to ease the financial stress placed on the Bryant family by deductibles, copays, and uncovered medical expenses. For someone undergoing cancer treatment, no-strings-attached funds like this can also help with costly measures that help to improve health and quality of life, like organic food products, over the counter-supplements, oncology massage, and acupuncture.
If you’d like to support Bryand but missed out on the rummage sale, mark your calendar for the Cake Walk Benefit at Rocky River Vineyards on May 18. Find more details on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/events/306926846664881/.
