ANNUAL SPRING FLEA MARKET

ANNUAL SPRING FLEA MARKET

The Cercle Missionnaire de la Vallee holds its Annual Spring Flea Market at the end of April in order to help generate some much-needed cash to help pay for the four shipments of supplies it sends to Haiti every year.

To give you an idea of just how much is sent with each shipment, you can see Georgette Bergeron in the photo below, in front of about 11 tons of supplies.

The average shipment contains up to thirty (30) tons of food and supplies. Since it costs up to $6000 to ship one load, the organization relies on a number of fund-raisers and donations to pay the bill.

Every Wednesday they hold a Flea Market from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.

About 50 people drop in during Wednesday's opening to pick up some of the deals that they have on the shelves and to drop off other donations.

Here, what you may think is just a careless piling of junk is actually a very careful packing job designed to protect some very valuable instruments for testing vision. The lamps in the background are part of a $5000 unit that was donated for use in Haiti, so in order to protect it from damage in shipping, the volunteers pack it tightly with everything from ironing boards to baskets. Even the crate was hand made.

The tool box above was made by one of the volunteers, Adrien Roy. He collects old hammers and saws, then outfits them with handles and sharpens them before packing the items in a hand-made box for shipping. These tools are invaluable in Haiti for helping people build and repair their homes.

A total of 160 volunteers are involved in some way with the Cercle Missionnaire de la Vallee. They help collect supplies, take part in fund-raising, work at the flea market, and pack the boxes for shipping.

Sister Therese Lamoureux m.c.r. , who runs the Mission in Haiti and receives most of the supplies when they are shipped, will be visiting the area during the month of June 2006.

The flea market does not operate during July and August, but it is open every Wednesday during the remainder of the year from 11:00 a.m. to 4 p.m.

If you have anything you would like to donate goods or money, purchase some of the items on display; or volunteer your time and services, contact Georgette Bergeron at 969-2192.