April, for example, was listed as National Volunteer month. and clearly, the residents of Whispering Pines have answered the call.
A number do volunteer work in the Sandhills community, and their effort clearly makes a difference to many. Cliff and Dee Harris, for example, provide time to the Moore County Coalition for Human Care. Joe Thomas and others toil at Habitat for Humanity projects. Paul Nealon and many of his neighbors give their time to the FirstHealth Moore Regional Hospital.
Additionally, village residents volunteer closer to home, providing free services to their immediate community.
A number of members of the Country Club of Whispering Pines are part of the Good Hands Gang that provides holiday baskets of food to the needy. A sizable group of villagers dig and plant with the Whispering Pines Garden Club, maintaining village parks and keeping the community attractive and inviting.
And a large group of Whispering Pines citizens keep the village Thrift Shop thriving as it generates funds for worthy causes throughout Moore County.
Set up more than 21 years ago, what today is a thriving exchange of goods originated as simply an annual fund-raiser for the Whispering Pines Rescue Squad. In the early 1980s, the effort became a year-round nonprofit charitable operation.
The shop ultimately moved into its present quarters on N.C. 22 at the corner of Ray’s Bridge Road and is staffed by volunteers who accept donations on Mondays and Tuesdays from 9 a.m. till noon and sell to customers Wednesdays to Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. The Thrift Shop accepts donations of clothes, small furniture items and appliances.
Over 70 village volunteers participate in the effort, which requires unpacking, sorting, cleaning, pricing, displaying and then selling the merchandise donated.
Marianne Turner is the organization’s president and has been a Thrift Shop volunteer from the outset. (Others with more than 20 years “on the job” include Vandy Gatti, Betty Michaels, Carol Linthicum and Helen Anderson.)
Women, by the way, aren’t the only ones involved in the operation. Many village males assist in the work as well. Whispering Pines Mayor Roy Musgnug is a past treasurer of the Thrift Shop, and Chub Nintzel is the organization’s handyman. Bonnie Kline, the Thrift Shop’s publicity director, labeled Nintezl the backbone of the team, though his official title is Director of Maintenance.
“When we need boxes moved or some labor done, we simply call on him and he responds,” she said.
Men help in an indirect way as well, Klein added.
“They often have to take us out to dinner after a long day at the shop,” she said.
Since it became registered as a charitable organization, the Thrift Shop has donated nearly $500,000 to Moore County charities. Last year the total was $32,100, and recipients include various organizations that help the needy. Gloria Bergmann is the allocation chairman, and she points out that a sampling of those that have benefited include Bethany House, Boys and Girls Club of the Sandhills, FirstHealth Hospice, the Sandhills Food Bank of North Carolina, the Moore County Literacy Council, the Pregnancy Support Services,and the Salvation Army, to name a few.
The customers of the Thrift Shop come from all walks of life and look for a variety of goods. On some Wednesdays, when the store is about to open, folks are at the door waiting to get inside. Even professional buyers stop by to see what the week’s new offerings might include.
Asked why they spend time working at the Whispering Pines facility, one of the volunteers, Helen Montoro, said the answer was a simple one.
“You just get a good feeling doing it,” she said.
She pointed out that it was especially rewarding to see individuals less fortunate stopping by and purchasing needed clothing for themselves and their children.
So National Volunteer month may have come and gone, but its applicability to villagers has not been unnoticed. Whether it is April or June or October, many members of Whispering Pines continue to give back to the community, helping in many different ways.
And the Whispering Pines Thrift Shop plans to continue its service to the community for many years to come, thanks to the many who give freely of their time.
