Donations needed to make sale a success
By B.C. Manion
It’s a tradition that dates back for the better part of four decades.
The Lutz-Land O’Lakes Woman’s Club puts out a call to the community seeking
donations to help make the club’s flea market a success.
It’s an important annual rite and there’s a lot riding on it, said Pat Serio, a prime organizer in this year’s effort.
The woman’s club helps about 50 local causes every year, and the flea market is
the club’s second biggest fundraiser of the year, Serio noted.
As always, the club is asking people who live or work in the area to go through
closets, look under their beds, search their garages and check out any other place for
items they can contribute for the sale.
“The way that the community can help is to donate, donate, donate,”Serio said.
The club will take just about anything except for really bulky items,such as refrigerators,
washers, dryers and sofa sleepers,Serio said.The items must be clean and in
good working order.
Every year, the sale includes an assortment of items such as antiques and
collectibles, home décor, electronics, lamps, linens, kitchen appliances, dishes,
glassware and other household goods.
There’s also clothing for men,women,children and infants, along with bicycles,
sporting goods and furniture.
All items are sorted and priced by an army of volunteers, Serio said.
About 60 club members work the market – and they recruit others to help as
well.
“We rope in our children and our husbands,”
she said.
Donations will be accepted on Mondays and Wednesdays during February,
from 9 a.m. until noon beginning Feb. 1.
Items also will be accepted during the same hours on two Saturdays during the
month – Feb. 11 and Feb. 18.
The items should be brought to the Old Lutz School, 18819 US Highway 41, in Lutz.
The club is also willing to do pickups, if the items are too heavy to carry or if there
are special needs, Serio said.
This year’s sale will be held on the first two weekends in March.
Items go on sale Friday, March 2 and Saturday, March 3, from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m.
On March 10, the following Saturday, items will be sold from 8 a.m. until 2 p.m. at halfprice.
In addition to the flea market items, the club will be selling cookbooks and refreshments
will be available for purchase.After the sale, remaining items will be used by
woman’s club committees or donated to various charities.
Anyone who has items for pickup or who has additional questions should call
Serio at (813) 948-4752 or Phyllis Hoedt at
(813) 949-1937.
