"Self" or "self-consciousness" is the cornerstone for the construction and continuation of western individual and social psychology. The strong self-consciousness of foreigners sometimes makes people feel that they are "egoistic", but the "solipsistic" individual concept also shows boundless love in some aspects, such as doing public welfare undertakings. There are no barriers to doing charity in a foreign country. Participants do not have to be rich or of high social status. Donations do not have to be brand-new. The humble second-hand goods play an important role in philanthropy.
The origin and development of charity shops
There are many theories about the origins of philanthropy. One view is that philanthropy began in the United States more than 100 years ago. In 1902, the young priest Edgar, witnessing the hunger and cold of the city's underclass, began his charity supermarket tour in Boston. He and his buddies went door-to-door in affluent neighborhoods, encouraging them to donate unused clothes and then hire unemployed workers to repair them and distribute them to those in need. Their central idea was to sell the donated items at a profit and use the proceeds to pay for the workers who repaired the donated items.
Others argue that Britain is the original birthplace of charity shops. The world's first charity shop was set up in 1899 in The UK and run by the Wolverhampton Foundation for the Blind. The two world wars made this model take root quickly. During world War I, a special way of raising money appeared in London, which was to sell the goods donated by citizens cheaply by shops. In this way, small shops have raised £50,000 for the Red Cross. By the second world War, such shops were so common that the Red Cross even opened its first official charity shop in London's Bond Street. It was this conversion of goods into cash that led to the birth of the charity retail business.
In September 2019, Oxfam opened a "Super Charity Shop" in a business park on the outskirts of Oxford, England, which is 12 times the size of oxfam's regular store.
During this time, more than 200 similar shops have sprung up, including the most famous Oxfam Charity shop. Oxfam started its charity shop in Broad Street, Oxford, in 1948, selling second-hand books. Today it is Europe's largest retailer of second-hand books, with more than 100 shops across the UK. In addition, Oxfam was the first UK organisation to open a charity shop dedicated to music products, with more than 1,000 "book and music banks" in the UK. It now has branches around the world, with more than 700 in the UK, and has grown into one of the most influential charities in the world.
In the 1960s, with the increase of the income of British residents, the society entered the period of one-off consumption, and the social culture changed from "make and repair" in the war to "buy and throw away". A large number of items were donated to charity organizations, and then sold by charity supermarkets for cash. Over the next 20 years, many charities followed suit and opened charity shops, which expanded rapidly. There are now more than 11,000 charity shops in Britain, 83 per cent in England and 9 per cent in Scotland.
Oxfam helps people suffering from famine in South Sudan.
The operation mode of charity is mainly to accept, process and sell idle goods donated by citizens, and use the donations from charity sales to set up various types of welfare factories, provide vocational training and find employment places for the disabled, the sick and other vulnerable groups. There are also charity shops that support charities and foundations as diverse as Save the Children and cancer Research.
It is worth mentioning that charity shops are not places for people to throw away their rubbish. They are very strict about the acceptance and screening of donated items, which are carefully sorted by people experienced in the charity shop market to determine what can and cannot be sold. Unsold goods may end up being sold to rag companies, garbage collectors and other individuals, and worthless items will end up in landfills. In some areas, donations to charity shops are tax-deductible, and because tax authorities accept the value of donated goods as a deduction, donors must choose a shop run by a government-approved charity, and they also need to obtain a receipt for the goods.
Let's do commonweal
Over the past hundred years, the development of charity shops in various countries has gradually combined with the local culture and environment, showing different regional characteristics. Today, the United States has members in 37 countries across the country, and most Americans are used to going to charity stores to buy groceries and donate unused items. Charity shops are common in many European countries. People's consumption attitudes in many Asian and South American countries are also changing, and second-hand goods are coming into people's lives more and more.
In Paris, France, there is a non-profit organization called emmaus, whose members are mainly volunteers from France and other European countries. Every year, they hold a grand second-hand salon at the Versailles Exhibition hall. The proceeds from the charity sale are used to fund the disabled, so that they can have a new life, discover their value and live bravely. In the 22,000 square meter pavilion, 260,000 tons of second-hand goods from 150 cities across France are collected, attracting more than 20,000 visitors. The average price of goods in salons is 60 to 70 percent lower than the market price. There are 50,000 second-hand books, with prices starting at €0.50 per book. You know, books are very expensive in foreign countries, and even students can only borrow textbooks from the school, not own them, so the price is definitely heartwarming. Thrift salons make thrift shoppers happy while supporting the public good. They kill two birds with one stone.
In recent years, the threat of deflation in the euro zone has led to a rethinking of consumption. In Germany and Austria, where free food sharing took off in 2012, non-profit groups that recycle "second-hand food" are focusing on food that is not fresh enough to be thrown away in stores, supermarkets and hotels. Their workers collect, select and process the food, distributing it as needed to the homeless, the poor and the elderly.
The German Table Federation has more than 60,000 volunteers running more than 3,000 food distribution points. Volunteers collect surplus food of good quality from producers, distributors and other sectors of society, and regularly distribute it to those in urgent need, balancing oversupply and shortage.
Charity shops are strict about accepting and screening donated items, which are carefully sorted by experienced market staff to determine what can and cannot be sold.
Good Samaritan has a number of stores in North America, including one in Arlington, Virginia, that ranks among the top 10 in the country, receiving 200 to 300 donations a day of all kinds.
Second-hand goods are coming into people's life more and more.
One of them, the Charity Table, drives a truck at 8 a.m. every morning to collect second-hand food from supermarkets, bakeries and hotels that are about to be discarded. When the van returns, 40 or 50 people pick and dispose of the food collected, with about half still edible and the rest thrown into the trash. They renovated the old factory building into an activity space with a special food store. Some homeless people, housewives and the elderly line up for free food. Ordinary families can pay a nominal maximum of 1 euro if they want. The culture of giving second-hand things on the street is also the most direct way to reuse materials, and creates an atmosphere of mutual help and friendship among urban residents.
Aged Services UK was formed in 2009 through the merger of two age-friendly organisations. It is the UK's largest age-friendly organisation, dedicated to improving the wellbeing and health of older people in their later years. In addition to 470 charity shops to raise money, there are 170 community organisations. Volunteers are recruited to work at headquarters, charity shops or in the community. There are even thousands of volunteers who hook wool hats for the elderly to keep them warm in the winter. Charity shops in the UK raise 270 million pounds a year for medical research, overseas rescue, environmental protection, sick and poor children, animal welfare and projects for the homeless and disabled.
"Good way" is one of the largest charity used goods enterprises in the United States, it let us see a "waste into treasure, give back to the community" story. Good Samaritan has a number of stores in North America, including one in Arlington, Virginia, that ranks among the top 10 in the country, receiving 200 to 300 donations a day of all kinds. Of course, donors' good deeds are also rewarded by the society. Donation offices often provide tax receipts to donors as a basis for tax reduction. When asked about their motivation for donating, people often say, "Old stuff at home, if I can do something with it, is better than throwing it away. I donate it so someone else can use it, or someone can buy it back and extend its life."
Not long after I arrived in Canada, the air disaster at the Pentagon in the United States devastated the economy, and the unemployment rate soared, affecting People's Daily life. With my meager salary, I can only afford the basic expenses like rent and food, so it seems extravagant to spend money on toys for my children. However, children are playful by nature, and with the guidance of a friend, I went to try my luck at one of Shanwei's Toronto outlets, which was on my way from work.
One time, I saw a beautiful pink children's bicycle, beautiful and new, priced at $5, I took it home. How much joy this car brought to my daughter's childhood! After dinner in the summer, she and her friends raced each other around the playground of her elementary school. I also used two or three yuan to buy second-hand skates, roller skates, skateboards, sleds and other expensive children's things. If there is no second-hand shop, I don't know what three or five yuan can bring for my daughter, maybe only a ball, a McDonald's meal of happiness. With the second-hand store on my back, I dare say: "Poverty cannot limit a child's happiness in childhood." Charity shops, centuries-old vehicles of public good, spread equality, respect and sustainable goodwill around the world.
In developed countries, poverty also exists. For example, in Calgary, Canada, one in 10 people is poor, and 77,000 children in The province of Alberta are living in poverty. In Canada, for single mothers or low-income families, food and accommodation accounts for 70% of total income. To help this group, Calgary established the Women in Need Association in 1992, which not only opened stores, but also created programs, and used all store proceeds to help women with practical difficulties in their lives -- single mothers, divorced women, financially disadvantaged and recent immigrants. Their goods mostly come from second-hand goods donated by the public, and there are also goods donated by businesses.
Second-hand goods convey positive energy
At present, many countries are not only committed to the cause of relief for the poor and vulnerable groups in their own countries, but also look around the world to help those in need abroad. Let me give you an example. A male teacher of physical education and drama in our school organized a club called "Glasses for Kenya", asking the whole school to collect glasses they do not need, and donate them to the African people. All four members of my family are "four-eyes" and need new glasses every one to two years. In Canada, glasses are very expensive, and the lowest price in Costco is more than 100 Canadian dollars. Although old glasses are useless, they are so new that I don't want to throw them away, and they take up a lot of space in my desk drawer. I'm so glad that a lot of these old glasses have found a new home and can continue to serve people in Africa who can't afford glasses. It saves me space, africans money, and the planet's resources.
My neighbor works for the city government and is responsible for environmental studies. My child is one or two years older than hers, and EVERY year I give her child clothes that are smaller. Her colleague took part in an activity to support Africa. She knew my house had many clothes, so she asked me for donations. I gave her two big bags of clothes. My neighbor's son went to Montessori Elementary school, and the school collected old clothes to be made into rags. I also gave her two small bags.
The popularity of second-hand goods abroad may be due to the positive energy it conveys. Sometimes, a small move makes people feel inexplicable warm heart. On the other hand, Canadians are really caring. When my daughter was young, I was going to live in China for a while. I was afraid that she would forget her English, so I wanted to find some children's picture books in the community sale. At that time, many houses sold them for 10 cents each. I wanted to buy more and explain to the family why, but the host and hostess were both very friendly and asked me to wait. After a while, the host came out of the house with an armful of books, as well as hardback ones. He bent over my daughter and said, "I hope you read it when you get home. Don't forget English." He also gave my daughter some popular teletubbies and other toys, saying that their children are too old to play with them, and he hoped my daughter would like them. They don't have gorgeous language, just plain ordinary words, but I was really moved, to this day remember these people have given us help. I would like to pass it on and help others in need.
Canadian children have participated in many such activities since they were in primary school. They are not only caring, but also compassionate and more willing to participate. Our children have also collected food in the neighborhood to donate to children in poor countries, so that children there can have a merry Christmas. It is touching that the neighbors are particularly supportive of the children's love cultivation. When our children sincerely thanked an elderly couple for the bags of pasta and beans they handed them, they said, "We also thank you for the opportunity. We would love to donate food!"
Our neighbor grandma is very interesting, one day she came to my door with a big bag of mineral water bottles, "I have a lot of bottles, I think maybe your children take to school to save some money for the class activities." She was referring to a common fund-raiser in elementary and middle schools, where each child brings a recyclable soda bottle to class and the teacher takes it to the recycling station for a refund. Although there was no such activity in my son's primary school at that time, we still accepted the bottle in exchange for the refund fee and donated it to the class when we launched a fundraising campaign. When my daughter was in middle school, she would go door to door in her neighborhood collecting soda bottles, led by a classmate's mother, who would then take them with her to return the bottles and ask them to give the money to the teacher.
Canadian children often participate in such activities since elementary school to develop love and compassion in children.
Mini library.
In recent years, there have been more and more mini libraries in our city, which are actually not too big cabinets, some in the shape of a small house, some in the shape of a tree house, etc. Inside are books donated by citizens, and anyone who wants to read a book can go and take it home. Readers often trade books they don't read and then exchange them later. My good friend Alice Tibben has built a mini library in front of her house for neighbors and passers-by. She said: "Think how nice it would be to have a cup of coffee and read on the sofa in winter when it's raining and you can't go out."
I also want to tell you that in Europe and America, picking up leaks is also a culture. People leave discarded items in the driveway with a "free" sign, meaning, "It's working. You can take it." Do not want sofa, bicycle, toy, furniture, TV, refrigerator, tableware, placed in the street, who want can pick up, won't someone look down on the behavior of picking up leak, the old master of things will be his "old partner" to find a new master and happy. If you happen to be seen picking up something, the host will say "thank you" loudly to you. In foreign countries, scavenging is not shameful. My family eliminated several oak dining chairs, a friend in her community walking saw 4 imitation leather cushion solid wood backrest dining chairs very good, home to drive them to pick up for me. The chairs are still in good shape and fit in with my new dining table, so I didn't want to throw them out when I moved.
These old things are not without value, in the "you throw I pick up" between the hands, we touch the warmth of human feelings. If someone's trash is my treasure, why refuse? If my trash is someone else's treasure, why not give it away?
