Big crowds attended TROSA Yard Sale


By Brianna Rolfe
UNC Staff Writer
the Durham VOICE
thedurhamvoice@gmail.com

Community members came in large numbers to seek out great deals at the Triangle Residential Options for Substance Abusers (TROSA) mega yard sale and to offer their support to the organization.

Shoppers sift through donated items in search of something that catches their eye. Many shoppers carried around boxes or filled their arms full with items they wished to purchase.

The TROSA yard sale was held from Thursday, Sept. 13th til Saturday, Sept. 15th at 2000 Chapel Hill Road in the Lakewood Shopping Center parking lot.

“People in the community are very supportive because they can come and find great deals and support a great cause,” said Michelle Kucerak, director of development at TROSA. The support was evident at the event with people arriving early in the morning while it was still cool outside.

There were expected to be 4,000 to 6,000 cars over the course of the three- day event. The yard sale was expected to bring in over $50,000, according to Kucerak. “We estimate about 5,000 car loads of people [attended the event], said Kucerak.

“All of the money from the yard sales goes toward covering the cost of residents so they don’t have to pay for the program,” Kucerak said.

Many residents of the TROSA program were at the event welcoming people in, straightening up items and helping customers. One resident, who asked to remain anonymous, spoke highly of the event and substance abuse program offered by TROSA. “It’s an awesome program,” she said. “You get what you put into it. Once you give up yourself, you know how to give to others.”

For some of the resident volunteers it was their first time working at the yard sale. They were enjoying themselves and the opportunity to be a part of the big event.

People roamed the aisles under the 40,000 square feet of tent space in search of products they wished to purchase. Items were separated in sections under the tents to make it easier to find specific items. The yard sale contained a wide variation of items. Items ranged from an Elvis plate to holiday items and clothes.

Many shoppers were pushing around shopping carts to fill with items they wished to purchase.

“We receive donations from companies locally and across the U.S.,” Kucerak said. The donations are stored in warehouses until these fundraisers are held. There is a main warehouse where most items are kept, but TROSA is running out of storage space for all of the donations, said Kucerak.

Alicia Gahagan, assistant to CEO of TROSA Kevin McDonald, said, “Thursdays are the busiest days.” She also mentioned the crowd might be smaller because of the location change. In the past the yard sale has been held at Oxford Commons, and this year it was at Lakewood Shopping Center. Large crowds attended despite the location change.

There was plenty of advertising for the event to make people aware of the location. Signs were placed all across Durham reading “TROSA Fundraiser, 2000 Chapel Hill Rd., Sept. 13-15.”

This yard sale was expected to be the biggest one yet. Kucerak also said, “We [TROSA] have a lot of support in the community. The event grows every year.”

“The response was very supportive. It was a very successful fundraiser.” said Kucerak. Jeff Stern, director of special projects at TROSA also commented and said, “We are very pleased with the sale.”

In addition to the mega yard sale fundraiser, TROSA also brings in additional funding with the TROSA Moving and Storage, Lawn Care, and Furniture and Frame.

 

 

One thought on “Big crowds attended TROSA Yard Sale

Comments are closed.