Op shop gives back to community

THE Biggest Little Op Shop in Pakenham has excelled again this year by donating $72,500 to local charities.
Top of the list is the Pakenham Emergency Service, Aged Care, followed by 12 fire brigades.
Charities gathered at the Senior Citizens Centre for the annual meeting recently when they received their cheques, followed by a light lunch.
Donations were made to Allan Wade Foundation, Anti Cancer Council, Bullants Officer cricket club for the disabled, Cardinia Civic Concert Band, Pakenham Aged Care, Pakenham Arthritis Self Help Group, Pakenham Cemetery Trust, Pakenham Combined Churches 4Cs, Pakenham Diabetes Awareness Group, Pakenham Make A Wish, Pakenham Windermere Services, Pakenham State Emergency Service, Pakenham St John’s Ambulance, Pakenham and District Toy Library, Pakenham Volunteer Care Group, Tynong Progress Association Ware Memorial Fund, Outlook formerly Minibah, U3A Pakenham, Yakkerboo Festival.
Fire brigades who received cheques were Bayles, Beaconsfield, Cockatoo, Kooweerup, Lang Lang, Tynong, Maryknoll, Nar Nar Goon, Officer, Pakenham, Toomuc, Upper Pakenham.
Op shop staff would like to see more ladies helping on Mondays with ironing.
The condition of some of the clothes left at the shop has been disappointing with the time and cost of taking items to the tip each week proving counter productive.
The shop is not allowed to sell electrical goods, and old computers are unwanted, along with mattresses and broken items.