Southern Nebraska Register
St. Mary Parish in David City hosted its 20th annual garage sale Feb. 10-11 in the Aquinas Elementary School gymnasium.
Hundreds of people attended from several counties and enjoyed free coffee, cookies, and a bake sale while shopping for a bargain. The parish “FunRaising Committee” puts on the event, with leadership from Dale and Michelle Juranek and Deb Dinkelman.
“It is like Black Friday,” Michelle Juranek said. “People will be in the parking lot by 7 a.m., starting to line up at the school door. The sale starts at 8 a.m.”
Dozens of people help sort and price items the week prior, and work the two days of the sale.
“When the sale is finished, we can have the gym cleaned up within an hour, with the help of 20 people,” Juranek said.
Dale Juranek, a longtime garage sale volunteer, said he is always amazed by the continual impact of the project.
“This project has grown into something we did not expect,” he said.
Father Brian Connor, pastor of St. Mary Parish, said the event is an opportunity for the parish to provide a service for the community.
“This is an opportunity for people to declutter their homes, raise some funds for the parish and find good deals,” he said. “The sale is a fine-tuned machine.”
Last year, the FunRaising committee elected to donate part of the proceeds to Hope of the Poor in Mexico City. Hope of the Poor is a non-profit organization, with the mission of bringing Christ to the poorest of the poor. It was founded by Nebraskans Craig Johring and Danny Leger.
