For little money

Lots of used, well-preserved clothing and household goods can be found under the roof of the Hamberg town hall, on the “Stöberboden”. Here, a team of eight women takes care of the clothing and household donations that are dropped off here. They are checked, sorted and placed on shelves. In the meantime, a non-profit association, Stöberboden Hambergen, has been founded to properly record the income from fees for selling goods.

The Stöberboden team, which accepts, sorts and delivers the donations, consists of Ingrid Meyer and Monika Poitzmann. They have been there the longest since it started in 2015, as have Marlise Dippner, Marlies Osten, Edith Wolf, Elke Stracke, Rita Meyer and Kristin Braje. All women come to the town hall twice a week on a voluntary basis and take care of the donations for the Stöberboden. “It’s like opening presents,” says Dippner. She opens a large plastic bag with well-preserved wool blankets. During the visit, Meyer said there were many well-preserved items of clothing, “sometimes they are still new and there is a price tag attached to them.” The former clothing store, which was initially located behind a wooden shed on the town hall floor, has expanded significantly over the years. Every corner of the floor space is now filled with clothing for children and adults, shoes, household goods, bedding, toys, strollers and much more.

The organization “OHZ Helps” regularly receives warm clothing for deliveries to Ukraine. The donations are also used to help homeless people in Bremen. An animal shelter receives warm blankets for the animals. Everyone can provide themselves with well-preserved, clean clothing and all kinds of things for everyday use for little money. In the showroom there is a fee schedule that shows customers low fees: For example, for a women’s dress 3 euros, a men’s suit 4 euros. Children’s clothing is sold particularly cheaply, the helpers reported, for one or two euros each.

“The offer is for everyone in the community,” emphasized Poitzmann. Refugees from Ukraine and other countries would increasingly use the goods available here. The former clothing store has developed well and became Stöberboden, reported Reinhard Rock from the Stöberboden association, who supports the activities together with his wife Karin. “We have created something sustainable,” says Kock. We can support social institutions at minimal prices, the fees charged by customers. For example, the Café International in the church’s community center, where locals and immigrants meet for breakfast. The purchase of the youth bus was supported with 10,000 euros, Hamberg daycare centers, the fire department, Doctors Without Borders, Hamberg youth work also received donations, and refugee trips could also be subsidized.

The Stöberboden Hambergen in the town hall is open Monday from 9:30 a.m. to 12 p.m. and Thursday from 2:30 p.m. to 5 p.m.