Making A Difference in Your Community : Thrift Store Raises Funds and Spirits

Weeks before the new Out of the Closet Thrift Store opened in North Hollywood, the donations were rolling in.

“People just give and give,” said Peter Frater of Van Nuys, a computer systems operator working as a volunteer at the store. “We were so happy.”

Location was probably a big part of the success. The new thrift store--set up by the AIDS Healthcare Foundation--is only a couple of doors away from a Goodwill store on Laurel Canyon Boulevard and people appeared to be splitting their donations between the two groups.

But with the donations, comes a need for volunteers to help sort the wares, stock the shelves and help keep the store running, said Juan Jose Lomeli, assistant manager and volunteer coordinator for the store, which opened Oct. 24.

“We need volunteers with the bric-a-brac and the books,” Lomeli said.

Rather than just another place to find stuffed animals, toys, games, tennis rackets, inexpensive electronic equipment and a $2 pair of shoes, the thrift store can also help raise awareness about AIDS and HIV, AIDS Healthcare Foundation officials said.

“When you lose someone you love, it’s very difficult,” said Frater, whose companion of seven years died of AIDS five years ago. “I just felt compelled to do something.”

Frater has not tested positive for the virus himself, he said.

Just about everyone who does volunteer or work with the foundation and its three thrift stores has a similar story, said Pablo Garcia, who has worked at the Out of the Closet Stores in Atwater Village and on Fairfax Avenue in Los Angeles. The Atwater Village store opened in October, 1990. The Fairfax store opened in July, replacing another store on La Brea Avenue that was burned by an arsonist two years ago.

“Volunteers help our morale here, and our viability for funding,” Garcia said.

Thrifts stores have proven to be an ideal way to raise money, said Keith Malone, a spokesman for the AIDS Healthcare Foundation.

“People are looking for bargains nowadays,” Malone said.

To volunteer, call Lomeli at (818) 769-0503.

New Horizons, a nonprofit organization providing housing for mentally retarded people in the San Fernando Valley, is looking for volunteers to help in fund-raising, marketing, public relations and quality control, as well as with helping clients with projects in the group’s activity center. Activities include ceramics, painting and learning skills like writing and counting. For more information or to volunteer call Gloria Griskevitch at (818) 894-9301.

Public Guardian Volunteers are looking for help in wrapping 2,300 holiday gifts for the disabled, elderly or bedridden. More volunteers also will be needed to deliver the gifts to wards of the Los Angeles County Department of Mental Health. Gift-wrapping is being done at the office of the Public Guardian, 320 West Temple St., ninth floor, Los Angeles. Parking is free but reservations must be made ahead of time. For more information call Joan Vitale or Chris Marshall at (213) 974-0400 or (213) 974-0543.

The Jewish Elder-Care Corps is looking for volunteers willing to adopt elderly people of all faiths living in a nursing home or residential facility. According to the group, 40% of these residents seldom or never have visitors. Hours are flexible. To volunteer call Kay Ginsberg at (310) 359-9336.

Volunteers are needed to serve on a jury for mock trials at UCLA Law School. The volunteers hear a case and render a verdict. The deliberations are videotaped. Volunteers may sign up for only one of the following dates: Nov. 21, 22, 28, 29 or 30. For more information call Bunny Friedman at (310) 206-1193.

Getting Involved is a weekly listing of volunteering opportunities. Please address prospective listings to Getting Involved, Los Angeles Times, 20000 Prairie St., Chatsworth, 91311. Or fax them to (818) 772-3338.