Keep your wallets at home as generosity is the currency at Sunday’s Free Store Love & Share event.
Organized by Holiday Ya Secondhand Market, people can bring usable items they would typically donate to a charity, while also taking back with them things they need. The items remaining at the end of the day will be donated to Tasia Education Foundation (昌盛教育基金會), which aims to reintegrate homeless people or older unemployed people into society.
Each event is held at a different venue and Sunday’s event will take place at Huashan Grassland. The way it works is easy. All people need to do is hand their donations to volunteers in yellow vests. Items must be no larger than a microwave.
Photo courtesy of Holiday Ya Secondhand Market
One of the organizers, Yuan He-hsiao (袁禾宵), says that after learning about the Free Store concept while studying abroad, they decided to try it in Taiwan. But they added an extra dimension by partnering with charities and other organizations.
The event is more than just charity, though. Yuan says a big part of it is meeting new people. Attendees are also encouraged to share their skills, talents, food, music and games. To facilitate conversation, people can write three keywords about themselves on blank stickers and stick them on their arms or anywhere that’s visible.
Yuan says the event has seen some interesting people, such as Taiwan’s only shamisen (a three-stringed Japanese instrument) performer. Tarot readers have also showed up to provide their services for free, resulting in long queues.
The Free Store event serves a different purpose than their regular secondhand market.
The Holiday Ya market aims to help the homeless and abandoned rabbits while trying to promote flea markets that are common in Europe and the US as a popular weekend activity for Taiwanese.
“In contrast, the free store event simply revolves around sharing,” Yuan says. “Come and step out of your comfort zone, meet people from different backgrounds and you might discover something unexpected.”
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