Little op shop puts big money back into Boorowa

A volunteer-run op shop in the heart of Boorowa has quietly become one of the town’s most effective community fundraisers, returning more than $267,000 to local groups by the end of 2025 — with another substantial distribution from 2025–26 proceeds now about to be shared. The Boorowa Community Op Shop, an initiative of the Rotary Club of Boorowa, is staffed entirely by volunteers from across the community. Unlike many charity shops, the money it raises stays close to home. Volunteers nominate a local charity, community organisation or group to benefit from their share of the proceeds, which is calculated according to the hours they contribute at the shop. The result is a simple cycle of community support: local people donate goods, volunteers donate their time, customers buy the items and the money generated flows back into Boorowa organisations. Boorowa Community Op Shop volunteer Lyn Diskon said the shop had donated more than $267,000 to local groups by the end of 2025, with proceeds from 2025–26 about to be distributed. “This has contributed hugely to the economy of Boorowa, enabling the recipient groups to continue their great work in and for the community,” she said. The model also provides local organisations with an alternative way to raise money without having to organise their own raffles, events or fundraising drives. Community groups, organisation s and charities can nominate people to volunteer at the shop, with their time contributing towards the amount ultimately directed to their chosen cause. Importantly, volunteering does not have to mean committing to a regular weekly shift. “The shop does not require regular hours — times and how long someone volunteers — and appreciates every half hour of help that people can give,” Lyn said. But that flexibility does not lessen the importance of volunteers to the shop’s future. “Without the great volunteers, the shop would have to close,” she said. The store has also developed a reputation beyond Boorowa, attracting customers from surrounding towns, Canberra and further afield. Chair of the Op-Shop Committee Ilze Myburgh said visitors were drawn by the reasonable prices, variety of goods and the shop’s welcoming, traditional feel. “It has a real ‘old school’ set up where you can search and find valuables,” she said. Volunteer Julie Poplin said customers regularly travelled from Harden, Young and Yass specifically to visit the store. “A frequent comment is, ‘we like this shop as it is an old fashioned op shop where you can hunt to find treasure’,” she said. She said customers also appreciated knowing the money generated by their purchases would remain within the community. “People are also motivated by the fact that all money raised goes to local charities and not off to a ‘big business’,” Julie said. The shop also contributes to the circular economy by giving donated clothing, household goods and other items another life rather than allowing them to become waste. For Boorowa, however, its impact can perhaps be measured most clearly in the money that has made its way back into local organisations. More than $267,000 has already been returned to the community, and with another year’s proceeds soon to be distributed, donated goods that might sell for only a few dollars at a time continue to add up to something much bigger.