The keepers of the White Elephant.
White Elephant:
Fun and funds for parish improvementsThe White Elephant and Grocery Connection
Do you know where to go for a useful shopping experience? It's
right here on Springfield's Saxer Avenue: the White Elephant Shop,
the friendly thrift shop of St. Francis of Assisi Parish. Meet
friends, neighbors, newcomers and visitors from almost anywhere
in the county, all the while searching for incredible bargains!
The ambiance is informal and pleasant. It's a great place to
browse and very often find a little treasure that will keep you
smiling all day (especially when you realize what an exceptional
bargain you've found). Where else will you find a little gift
for your grandchildren, stuffed animals to rival any zoo, jewelry,
books, or puzzles? For the college bound or first apartment dwellers,
there are dishes, glasses, mugs, cookware - everything for the
table, and perhaps even a desk or a comfortable chair.
Some of the shop's regulars come to pick up items needed by
a friend or neighbor whose budget needs a helping hand, while
others buy books or tapes for the homebound It's a nice way to
add points to your own "giving program."
Grocery certificates are also for sale at the shop, which is open
Tuesdays and Saturdays from 9 A.M.. to 2 P.M..
All the money made at the White Elephant Shop is donated to
St. Francis Parish through the White Elephant Restoration Fund,
established in 1989 by then-Pastor Monsignor Gallen for the upkeep
and improvement of all church property.
Wondering about our sources of supply? Donations! Donations!
All donations! Here you have an outlet for your attic treasures.
The staff of the White Elephant Shop will be very grateful for
your donation.
The volunteers who work at the shop love to be kept busy, so since we no longer can meet at the Wanamaker Eagle, let's meet at the White Elephant Shop!
By Loretto Renshaw
Grocery Connection
Certificates in $5, $10 and $20 denominations are purchased from six local food markets and one department store at a 5 percent discount. Then they are sold to parishioners at face value and used like cash for purchases from those stores. The cash value of the discount is the benefit to the parish. Currently, the six markets are Acme, Pathmark, Genuardi's, Drexel Hill Foods, Giant, and Colonial Village and Macy's.
The certificates are sold at the following places and times:
Monday through Friday home sales (watch Parish Bulletin for places and times.)
Tuesday and Saturday at White Elephant, 9 A.M. to 2 P.M.
Thursday in the Rectory basement, 7 P.M. to 8 P.M.
Sunday in Rectory basement from 9.30 A.M. to 12.45 P.M.
For over six years, a dedicated group of 50 parish volunteers, led by John Sheehan and Charles Groux, has managed this program that now grosses $1.2 million in sales a year and provides $60,000 in benefits to the parish.
Parish families that pay tuition for children in Catholic elementary and high schools -- and their relatives and friends -- may apply the benefit associated with their participation in the program to offset part of their tuition charges. The benefit accruing to those families is computed on the basis of certificate purchased in a school year as follows -- 5 percent of the first $5,000 and 2.5 percent of the purchases exceeding $5,000. Tuition benefits from Macy's certificates are valued independently and are always 5 percent of face value.