The director of a Porirua charity shop is “floored” by the groundswell of community support it received after closing, which has allowed it to reopen.
In January, Porirua free goods store Free for All was forced to close after staff reported a spike in abuse and threats.
But since then, the community has rallied around the store, and it was able to reopen this week.
“The message from the community came in really really clear, that they just didn’t want us to go anywhere,” director Dee Glentworth told Breakfast.
“It actually really floored me how much support was out there.”
There are now calls for help to keep the Free For All warehouse safe so it can reopen. (Source: 1News)
She said people had written letters pleading for it stay open, and has even had Greater Wellington Regional Council's David Lee join the board.
“We’ve even had food dropped off,” Glentworth said.
She said the level of support and generosity the charity received was “so humbling” to see.
Glentoworth said the store now has a “comprehensive” security system, which should address any issues.
She also said the charity “really looked at the part we played in the way things went”.
“So, we’ve been doing some staff training, and we’ve got more people on board to help, so things aren’t so stretched.”
The shop is also looking for a new location with better parking – to solve disputes around that.
Glentworth called the store’s reopening “absolutely the most incredible day”.
“We had tears, we had laughter, and so many people waking out the door with smiles on their faces, it just brought home why we’re doing it.”
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