By Laura Drinan
Hometown Weekly Reporter
Imagine going to the mall and finding designer brand clothes for less than ten dollars. It might sound too good to be true. Perhaps then it seems impossible that one could conveniently find such deals in Westwood center, while supporting a non-profit that prevents child cruelty.
At Glad Rags in Westwood, patrons can find gently-worn designer brands at amazing prices and feel satisfaction in knowing that all of the proceeds go to the Massachusetts Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children.
It all began forty years ago when a group of volunteers for the MSPCC decided to open the thrift shop with the intention of supporting the Society. At first, the store was just one room, but over the years, Glad Rags has expanded to multiple rooms now filled with donated miscellaneous items – like books, movies, and household wares – and women’s, men’s, and children’s clothing.
Glad Rags is certainly not just another retail chain. The shop doesn’t necessarily have coworkers like most stores do, either. Instead, Glad Rags is run by over forty women who volunteer for specific shifts each week. The store opens every September and is open four days a week until June, when the shop closes for the summer, giving volunteers much-deserved time off. Anne Berkland has been a volunteer at Glad Rags for almost all forty years of the store’s existence. “I was young and I moved into the neighborhood and the lady across the street said to me: ‘You must have some time on your hands. So, why don’t you help me with the publicity around town?’ So I ran around town and put all the posters up,” says Berkland, recalling how she became a volunteer and member of MSPCC. “And then she said, ‘Why don’t you come and see what the shop is like?’ I came and saw what they did here and said ‘I’ll volunteer.’” And so began Berkland’s involvement with Glad Rags.
“It’s a wonderful cause,” she adds. “They’ve done some great work. They try to get in and help young families and keep them together. They work with the parents.”
The MSPCC is headquartered in Boston, but has locations all throughout Massachusetts, with the mission of protecting children and preventing child abuse and neglect. Some programs from the MSPCC include child abuse and neglect intervention, mental health services, family counseling, adoption services, and foster parent training.
While thrift shoppers can find an entirely new wardrobe without making a dent in their wallet, the MSPCC’s programs can thrive and thousands of families can receive the support they need with the help of Glad Rags’ proceeds.
