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The Community
Press
TEXT ‘ABFIRES’ to 45678 to donate $10 to Red Cross for Jasper wildfire relie Volume 118 Issue 20
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Wednesday, November 26, 2025 s
Mother Nature flips the switch to winter weather
LESLIE CHOLOWSKY PHOTO
It’s only been a week but it already feels like more. Last Wednesday, Nov. 19, Mother Nature flipped the switch to ‘winter’ mode, with quite a bit of snow and cooler temperatures. Many people welcomed the clean white fields and snow-covered trees over the hum-drum brown, and it was a sharp reminder that the high temperatures of fall couldn’t continue forever.
‘Good As New’ shop gives back to community This year the Good as New Shop in Sedgewick was able to give $30,500 back to the community! How does that happen? Let us walk through a week at the store. Nearly every day, someone in the community decides to share some of their “extras” and drops off a box or bag (or six) at the store. Every Monday and Thursday morning a group of five to 10 volunteers show up to carry in those bags, and sort, clean, price, and arrange all the treasures. Someone gathers up the recycling. Someone sweeps the floor. Someone takes photos to share. Someone takes the garbage out. Lots of people laugh and ask, “What on earth do you think this is?!” On Tuesday, Friday, and Saturday afternoons, volunteers are there to welcome customers, sell items and tidy as they go. Others come to mow grass or shovel snow or do a fix-it job. And of course, the customers arrive to search through those treasures and see if there is something that
needs to go home with them. Each week represents more than 50 hours of volunteers making the generous donations of our community available to share. The Good as New society is thankful and proud of the support received from donations, volunteers, and shoppers. “And each year, all that effort and generosity enables us to add up the 50-cent and $2-sales and give money back to the groups that help make it happen. (Anglican, Catholic, Lutheran, Nazarene, and United churches)” says Society member Lois Polege. “But it’s not just about the money. We also celebrate the opportunity to work together, to build friendships, to help our neighbours and to create a generous, welcoming community.” Polege adds, “New volunteers are always welcome! “If you would like to join, there is a place for you. Stop by the store and we will put you to work!”
From left: Good as New volunteer Lois Polege, with the cheques recently distributed to the community churches. On her right: Hendrika Bernard, Marilyn Maertz, Ida Mae Brodie, Shelly Webb, and Betty Smith.
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