By Mark Reynolds
B J Mikkelsen has been working for several years to bring a clothing shed to Milton. He recently succeeded.
The shed is located on the Mazzola Oil Service property near the corer of Route 9W and Milton Turnpike, opposite the Stewart’s Shop, and will help the agri-tourism organization Meet Me in Marlborough [MMM] generate funds to run their programs.
In a press release Mikkelsen stated that, “We pride ourselves on being able to keep MMM membership dues steady over the years due to innovative thinking, such as the clothing shed. This will help us continue our work on future projects and to promote MMM members and our wonderful community. Help us support LOCAL by donating your gently used items in the MMM clothing bin. Receipts are available by using the QR code posted on the shed.”
For this venture MMM partnered with St. Pauly Textiles, of Rochester, NY, to provide a clean, convenient and well cared for drop off shed for use by the community. The company was founded in 1996 and has earned an A+ rating from the Better Business Bureau.
The St. Pauly Textile Company collaborates with other businesses to bring donations to those in need. They collect more than 150,000 pounds of clothing every day and distribute them to 44 countries annually. The company estimated that they have been able to keep more than 68 million articles of clothing out of landfills while helping to clothe 8.3 million people across the globe. In this case MMM receives funds for donated clothing and can use it to serve the Marlborough community.
Mikkelsen listed acceptable items: clothing, shoes, belts, purses, blankets, sheets, curtains, pillowcases and stuffed animals. He said the donated items are collected on a regular basis and are not ignored.
Mikkelsen gave special thanks to the Mazzola family – Lee, Merethe and Steffen - for allowing the shed to be sited on their property and for supporting MMM and the community.