Hospice charity shop thriving

Happy volunteers: Some of the Hospice Tairāwhiti Charity Shop volunteers who keep the store ticking over. The store celebrates its 10th birthday on Thursday. Sitting is Yuki Penfold. Standing are Ray Hawaikirangi, Heather Rattray, Janet Tims, Caroline Kirkpatrick, Beverly Fryer and Trieve Rolls. Picture by Liam Clayton

Ten years ago the board of Hospice Tairāwhiti took what some considered to be a gamble and decided to set up a charity shop to help fund its work. It was more popular than anyone had imagined. Andrew Ashton looks back at where it all started and what an indispensable asset the Hospice Charity Shop turned into . . .

On November 30 2013, Hospice Tairāwhiti opened the doors for the first time and on Thursday the shop will celebrate its tenth anniversary on Peel Street in the CBD.

The shop was established in response to the challenges of securing grants, with the aim of becoming more self-sufficient.

Hospice Tairāwhiti has been caring for the terminally ill and their families in the Gisborne/East Coast area since 1980, formerly under the name Gisborne Palliative Care Service. Barbara Grout, chief executive of Hospice Tairāwhiti says, “The idea of the shop came about when we were looking for a regular income stream to supplement our DHB (now Te Whatu Ora) funding to reduce our reliance on grants and donations. Grants had become harder to secure with more organisations applying and a number of local granting organisations winding up. Hospices in other areas were running very successful charity shops so it seemed the logical step for us.”

When the board at the time decided to go ahead with the shop, not all were sure the concept would work. Gisborne already had a number of well established charity shops and op-shops. There was concern there wouldn’t be enough donations to go around, but their concerns were quickly put to rest and despite initial scepticism about its longevity, the shop has become a staple in the community.

Barbara reminisces about the shop’s humble beginnings that started with shop manager Brenda Kinder and 40-50 volunteers and has now grown to 70 volunteers and two assistant managers who job share.

Barbara acknowledges the continuous generosity of the community over the 10 years and reflects on initial doubts about the shop’s viability.

“Despite the uncertainty and doubts about the establishment of the shop, the support over the years has proven that there’s a place in our community for what the shop offers. Over the past year the shop sold 152,913 donated items and served 44,185 customers.”

Barbara clarifies the distinction between a charity shop and an op-shop, emphasising the former’s focus on benefiting the charity rather than the purchasers. The Hospice Shop’s purpose is to raise funds to support the work of Hospice Tairāwhiti, ensuring that services provided to patients and families remain free of charge.

“But of course, that doesn’t mean shoppers won’t get a bargain. We try to have a balance in our pricing with items being priced to value the donor and satisfy the shopper.”

Barbara says even after all this time the community’s support for the shop has been huge and continues to be phenomenal.

“We have never struggled for donations — it is great. And those board members who initially had doubts are happy to have been proven wrong.”

Brenda Kinder, shop manager, attributes the success of the shop to members of the community, ranging from those wanting to support Hospice to individuals expressing gratitude for the support and care Hospice Tairāwhiti offers to their families.

“People just know it’s a good place to donate,” says Brenda. “It’s a good store. It’s clean, it’s tidy and they know we will look after their donations. There is a lot of really good donations that come through the shop, with clothing probably the biggest donation we get.”

Brenda expresses gratitude for the community’s unwavering support.

“Hospice really appreciates the quality and variety of donations, especially clothing, books, and children’s items.”

Brenda, who transitioned from managing other retail outlets in Gisborne, values the relationships formed with customers and volunteers over the 10 years.

“I think the best thing about managing the shop would be the camaraderie with the customers and the volunteers. A lot of customers have been with us for many years.”

But it’s the volunteers who are signalled out for praise.

“Hospice could not run the shop without them.”

Brenda says that a lot of volunteers just want to give back to Hospice for looking after a family member and the opportunity to develop friendships with other volunteers.

“One volunteer said that after her husband passed away, volunteering as a thank you to Hospice for the care he received was the best thing she ever did. And it was a way to make new friends. Now it’s our turn to thank the community for 10 years of their support. Over the years we have made some really good friends. It has just been amazing and to be still going after 10 years is a really good achievement — for Hospice and the community.”

The only gripe the pair have is with the amount of unusable items dropped off at the store, which costs about $16,000 a year to dispose of.

“That’s a cost to Hospice that could be going into patient and whānau care,” says Barbara.

“So, we ask people to donate good quality, saleable items.”

Hospice Tairāwhiti faces financial challenges, with a $700,000 budgeted deficit this year. While Hospice Tairāwhiti gets a set amount of money each year, adjusted for inflation, it does not receive any increase in funding to address increasing patient numbers.

“The deficit and funding model highlights the shop’s crucial role in filling the funding gap,” says Barbara.

“The shop makes a great contribution. It is the biggest contributor to the funds we need to raise, but unfortunately, we still need to go to the community for additional money. Without the shop I don’t know where we would be. It’s an easy way for people to donate to Hospice. With the gap between operating expenses and Te Whatu Ora continuing to widen every year, additional community support remains essential.”

The shop allows the organisation to continue to offer its vital services for the terminally ill and their families in the Gisborne/East Coast area free of charge. As a not-for-profit organisation, Hospice Tairāwhiti relies on community support to bridge financial shortfalls.

Hospice Tairāwhiti is a not-for-profit organisation that has been caring for the terminally ill and their families in the Gisborne/East Coast area since 1980, formerly under the name Gisborne Palliative Care Service. Hospice Tairāwhiti is a member of Hospice NZ.

The service functions as a resource facility, working with existing services in a complementary way, providing the extra support and expertise that is required whether the patient is at home or in hospital.

All services are provided free of charge.

“Hospice is a much-loved, free-to-all service in our communities, but it costs a lot to provide,” a Hospice New Zealand spokeswoman said.  “Government funds less than half the cost of running hospices. In the 2021-22 year, it cost over $186 million to provide free hospice care across New Zealand. While the Government provided $92 million, hospices had to raise over

$94 million from their communities to bridge the gap.

“The amazing chain of Hospice retail/second-hand shops across the motu plays a huge roll in generating some of these community funds to support hospice services.

“In fact, In the 2021-22 financial year, hospice retail shops contributed $16 million to the cost of hospice care across Aotearoa.

“Our hospice shops help keep hospice care free to all those who need it.

“There are three other ways hospice shops contribute value and benefit to the hospice sector.

“They are a  channel for awareness raising and communication with local communities about hospice services.

“They offer volunteers a wonderful way to get involved with hospice and give back to their community.

“They are champions of sustainability — through reusing, repairing, and up-cycling quality second-hand goods.”