WHITE — Consider it the mother of all rummage sales — one whose organizers say it's “definitely worth the drive to White.”

The United Methodist Church in White is hosting this year’s three-day Deubrook BackPack Rummage Sale, a fundraiser for Deubrook area schools. In 2023 a similar rummage sale was undertaken by Zion Lutheran Church in White. Now organizers of both sales are hoping the sale becomes an annual event.

Days and times for the sale are Sept. 13 from 1 to 7 p.m.; Sept. 14 from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m.; and Sept. 15 from 1 to 3 p.m.

Up for first-come, first-served sale — with a free will donation being suggested for each item — are: furniture, home décor, tools, games, fabrics, pattern books, vintage clothing, antiques, jewelry and much, much more.

“We have been taking donations for two weeks,” Mary Norman, a key organizer and one the volunteers of this year’s sale, explained. “Fellowship Hall in our church is full and the classrooms are full. This year we had a church member move, so she donated quite a bit. We’ve had the death of a lady who had lived here 70 years and her son cleaned out her house and donated things. That’s where the vintage and antique things come from.

“And then we had another person who passed and his family brought in quite a few things. And a family from Brookings is moving into assisted living; so we’ve had three or four families that are doing major donations. We have people bringing in smaller donations, such as clothing that has been outgrown.”

Norman has some simple advice for those coming to the sale: purchase it when you find it. First-come, first-served means that what you would like to buy on Friday might not be there when you return later.

“Everything’s useable, everything’s serviceable,” she added. “We have kitchenware, we have some really nice glassware and dishes, things that would be great for college kids.” There’s also bedding, linens, vintage aprons and some very nice jewelry.

Nothing wasted

“We go through things and if some has to be tossed, we do that,” Norman explained. Think of that action as a sort-of grass-roots quality control.

“I’ve been very impressed with the quality of things that have come in this year,” she added. “We have had great community support. In a rural area you do have that. If it’s somebody in need of something, or the community or the school, it gets done. And we make sure that nothing’s going to waste.”

Anything that’s left over will be given to Orphan Grain Train in Milbank: It bills itself “as a 501c3 Nonprofit Christian volunteer network that shares personal and material resources with needy people in America and around the world. Grain Train volunteers gather donations of clothing, medical supplies, food, Christian literature, and other aid to meet real needs.”

Zion Lutheran Church, which had done the first rummage sale in 2023 had taken what remained when the sale was over and delivered it to Orphan Grain Train.

Norman notes that projects such as this sale and last year’s sale cannot get done  without a lot of “amazing volunteer help.” That volunterism beyond those who work the rummage sale to those people in the community who donate good stuff to the sale.

“We’re so glad you do this,” people told Norman. “We can wait for it and bring our stuff and it’s going to a good cause.”

Contact John Kubal at jkubal@brookingsregister.com.