Jumble Around’s Mary Waters, left, and Marianne Jarvie, outside the Shakespeare St outlet.
Cambridge’s charity organisation Jumble Around has recorded one of its most successful years ever and has distributed over $154,000 to mostly local non-profit groups and organisations.
The Leamington-based outlet runs its annual funding round to mid-September, after which Jumble Around committee members consider all applications sent to them.
This year they have distributed funds to almost 90 non-profit groups and organisations. Most are in Cambridge, said Jumble Around president Marianne Jarvie. Where funds are given to regional groups, the amount reflects as closely as possible the level of that group’s activity in Cambridge.
“We are so proud of our achievement. This round of funding has been our most successful to date,” said Marianne. “We want to thank the community for supporting us with their donations of items to sell. Without them, we could not have had such a successful year.”
Jumble Around raises funds through its busy op-shop in Shakespeare St. The outlet is run by volunteers and has put well over $1 million back into the community in the 53 years since it started out as a fundraiser to help build Cambridge Resthaven. It regularly supports around 100 non-profit organisations.
Marianne said they are pleased to have raised a record figure over the past year, particularly in the stressful Covid-19 environment. They are mindful, she added, that while lockdown has given many people time to clear out their homes and donate more goods for sale, it has also meant there are more people seeking help than ever before.
“We are reflecting that change,” she said. “We noticed the increased need among those who applied for funding, among them schools and sports clubs who haven’t been able to do their normal fundraising activities. This year we doubled the amount we normally give to Cambridge Community House because of the number of families now needing help through them.”
A list of the recipient groups and organisations is on the op-shop door. Some of the larger donations went to the Cambridge Community House Trust ($10,000) and Cambridge Safer Community Trust ($5000). The sum of $4000 each went to Cambridge Lifeskills, the Cambridge Community Charitable Trust, Riding for the Disabled and Predator Free Cambridge.
Meanwhile, people keen to drop off goods for sale should call first to arrange a time to safely drop them off, said Marianne.“We had piles of stuff left out the back for a while, and it just keeps coming. If people phone me first, I can arrange to be there to take the goods in.”
Marianne’s number is 021 1746 327.
