When Mel Burgess had a dream to open an Op Shop, she was determined to find a way to give back to the local community. In this episode of Helping Hands, we see Mel’s dream come to fruition in Op for Change, the social enterprise Mel opened in Manly.
In just her third year of running Op for Change, Mel and her team of op shop volunteers have received and sold over ten thousand items donated by Northern Beaches locals, and the social enterprise has given away over $50,000 to local charities.
For Mel, Op for Change was an opportunity to reinvent the idea of op-shopping. “The next idea for me was to say, ‘What if we take those profits and divert them entirely back to the community?’”.
Op for Change has an eclectic mix of donated items for sale, including homewares, records, toys, books and clothes. Every item is checked and sorted before being resold.
"It’s amazing how much of a nerve it’s touched that people get to donate (items) to their local community,” says Mel. “(People) will drop something off, we’ll often put it out on the rack the same day, and often something will then walk out of the shop that same day.”
Clothes which are not resalable are donated to a textile recycler in Melbourne, and selected items are donated to Remote Op Shops, an indigenous op-shop chain in Aboriginal communities throughout remote Australia.
“It’s just lovely, that whole circular economy aspect of it,” says Mel.
Mel is supported by a team of volunteers, including Brigette who oversees the visual merchandising, Gini who helps to sort, price and stock items for sale, Savanna who helps with clothing, and Mel’s husband Ian.
“Generous people have given us stuff, and generous people come in and take it out of here and give us money (which) we give to the charities – it’s all really lovely,” says Ian.
One of the joys for Mel is the people she meets through Op for Change; the donors, shoppers, volunteers and others, like her, in the community with a passion to create positive change in their local community.
“That sense of community is something that I wanted to have when we opened, and it has blown me away just how much it’s happened as a matter of course.”
In Part 2 (below) of the Op for Change story, we see the impact Op for Change makes through its support of local charities, including Whirl Recycling, LocalKind Northern Beaches, Northern Beaches Women’s Shelter, MoWaNa Safe Space Inc and Avalon Youth Hub.
Last year alone, Op for Change donated $10,000 to LocalKind Northern Beaches; a local charity that supports people who are vulnerable or at risk, providing support for people experiencing homelessness, domestic and family violence, as well as programs for youth, migrant and refugee assistance.
"That money goes a long way for a charity like ours. For example, we’re able to provide a support worker for six months, one day a week, and that has a great impact. That support person could support several people on any given day,” says Daniel Peterson, from LocalKind Northern Beaches.
Nellie Martin and Izzy Shilling from Avalon Youth Hub explain that the donations from Op for Change enables them to provide free counselling, support and case management for young people aged 12-24.
Narelle Hand from the Northern Beaches Women’s Shelter is also appreciative of Mel’s drive to support the local community. The funds donated by Op for Change make a tangible difference to women at risk of homelessness or experiencing homelessness.
“Amazingly, (Op for Change) were able to raise $10,000 for our service, and that money has gone to supporting our wellbeing program for the women that come through our service.”
MoWaNa Safe Places Inc. is a local charity that provides a no-judgement space for anyone with mental health issues. Melani Kypri is grateful for the contributions from Op for Change.
“Op for Change is donating money to us from this year from their proceeds here from the shop. That’ll give us the ability to run workshops over the next year for people in the community that are vulnerable. We rely on local people for support financially, otherwise we can’t run these programs … It’s community for community.”
Community for community is a fitting image of the ever-widening circle of generosity at the heart of Op for Change.
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