Community Corner
Boundless Benefit of Minks to Sinks
Along with making a hefty contribution to the Family and Children's Agency charity, the semi-annual sale offers Wilton volunteers camaraderie, friendship and joy at helping others
Tuesday marked only the first day of donations for this weekend’s semi-annual Minks to Sinks sale and it was off to a great start—by noon, two minks had already been donated.
“It’s still early,” said Maya Boreen, who chairs the sale. “At some point today we’ll have a sink too.”
Amongst the thousands of items that have been dropped off for resale at the white tents at the corner of Rt. 7 and School Road, there are televisions, couches, clothing, toys, collectibles, maps and various other things.
Find out what's happening in Wiltonwith free, real-time updates from Patch.
“Woks must not be popular anymore. There are a lot of woks,” joked one volunteer as she sorted through items someone had just deposited.
Billed by organizers as one of the biggest flea market in New England, Minks to Sinks donates proceeds from this weekend’s three-day sale to Norwalk’s Family & Children’s Agency (FCA). Although organizers are reluctant to say exactly how much Minks to Sinks raises every year for FCA during their events each May and October, the two sales each year are believed to have contributed over $1 million during the 50-year history of raising funds for the Norwalk-based organization.
Find out what's happening in Wiltonwith free, real-time updates from Patch.
Rocky Rossetti, CFO of FCA, was grateful. “The funds [raised at Minks to Sinks] are unrestricted, so we can put the money to where it’s most needed,” he said.
“With the current economy, need is up, and while donations have been better than we thought, they’re still down and Minks to Sinks has maintained their levels even still. So it’s been a godsend," said Rossetti.
The sale begins Saturday morning, and the prep work in advance is backbreaking. It takes over 200 volunteers—all members of the FCA’s Minks to Sinks auxiliary—to get it done, unloading, schlepping, sorting, tagging, pricing and displaying the thousands of items, on top of staffing all three sale days.
It’s hard work, but according to a faithful group of volunteers, it’s well worth it for many reasons.
“It’s a good feeling seeing the town come together, raising a lot of money, and it’s also a good way to catch up with people that you don’t get to see all the time,” says volunteer Chrissy Wood. “I grew up with my mom doing it, and I knew that it was something that I wanted to continue doing.”
On Tuesday, Wood was working alongside her husband’s aunt, Jane Wood, who agreed that doing something to contribute to the community while volunteering with family at the same time is rewarding.
“It’s for a very good cause, it helps children, and that’s what I’m interested in, this is the good part," said Jane.
Boreen echoed this in her praise of the ongoing dedication of volunteers.
“We have a faithful group of long-term members, there are even a handful who are in their 80s. It’s a tradition people pass down the generations, as people bring in their daughters, and we’ve even had three generations working at the same time,” she said.
For returning resident Julie Stein, who grew up in Wilton but moved back as an adult with her own family just this past August, it’s an icebreaker with the benefit of giving back to the community.
“This is my first sale. It was a way to meet people, and do something, and I like that it was a really good way to be part of the town," said Stein.
Volunteer Maura Connolly said this way of paying it forward is gratifying for many reasons.
“It’s great to see all these things repurposed. All this stuff, instead of going into a landfill, is reused. The greatest joy is on Saturday, watching new couples furnishing homes, people with new babies buying things, grandparents come to buy things for when their grandchildren visit. Beyond that, the money is raised for an amazing organization. It really has this multi-tiered benefit," said Connolly.
Minks to Sinks will continue accepting donations Wednesday and Thursday, and the sale runs Saturday through Monday morning; exact hours for each are posted on the organization’s website, www.minkstosinks.info. Information about volunteering can also be found on the group’s website.