A grandmother has taken the Ahousaht community recycling program a step further by starting up a Free Store.
Marceline Jack works as the assistant manager of Ahousaht’s Transfer Station. Three days a week she goes from house-to-house collecting trash. On alternate days – Tuesday and Thursday – she sorts the trash, weeding out the recyclables and sorting the materials for the monthly barge trip out of the community.
Marci, as she is known in the community, sometimes spends time at her other home, Tsaxana in Mowachaht/Muchalaht territory.
“They have a free store there that I used to use so I thought it would be good to have one here,” she explained.
At the end of March, Marci sent out a call for used items in good condition to stock her store. It wasn’t long before the shelves of the transfer station started filling with clothing, dishes, electronics, furniture and even appliances.
“I’ll take anything reusable and not broken,” she said.
She opens the doors of the Free Store from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. on Mondays to Fridays.
“Sometimes things don’t even make it to the transfer station,” she laughed. If she comes across a large item, say, a bed or a washing machine, she will announce it on the VHF and can usually deliver the item from the donor’s house to the person who needs it.
Sometimes the clothes will start piling up and about every three weeks Marci will take them to a field in the community and spread them across the lawn, inviting everyone to help themselves. Clothes that don’t get taken will go with the rest of the trash.
The idea is a hit in the community, which faces hard times with unemployment compounded by the always high cost of living in the isolated community. People are talking about what a great service Marceline is providing.
And if that isn’t enough, Marci will open the transfer station every other Saturday, on her own time, to allow people who can’t make it to the Free Store during the week to take what they want.
“Some people tell me I’m doing a good job; I’m just glad to help out where I can,” she said.
