A win-win road to feeling good
Do you suffer from the dilemma of feeling great about the woodworking project you just finished, but don’t know what to do with it. It was fun to build, perhaps not as much fun to sand and finish, and you learned some new technique or skill. So, what’s not to like? The answer is you have not where in the house to set it or hang it. This topic has come up at the last two meetings of the Cape Cod group.
Well, about 5 or 6 years ago I was asked by the Boys and Girls Club of Philadelphia if I could contribute and item to their annual auction. Their theme that year was “reading literacy” and I built an unusual Little Free Library (featured a tin roof from a Pennsylvania Amish barn). It was a big hit; they even asked if I would build one for the subsequent auction. I have contributed to the B&G Phlly auction every year since – mostly live edge furniture that seems to be popular.
About four years ago I was approached by BTEOfalmouth.org, a non-profit in support of low income housing on the Cape and have contributed every year since then to their charity auction. The 2026 auction was Sept 23. I see today on the website that my hickory bench went for $350 and a live edge hickory mirror sold for $120. Two items I had fun building and absolutely no place to set them. Win-win.
So where am I going with this? I think more EMGW members might be interested in following a similar path. You have to search out a charity you want to support and find out if they do a fund-raising auction and if so, when and where it takes place. Most run the auction on-line and then have some type of in-person event to bring everything to a close. I rarely attend the in-person events.
Having said all that, I will confess that I have reached out to the B&G club in Mashpee on the Cape and nobody has returned my voice mail or email. Alas, sometimes nobody even answers the phone. Nevertheless, my point is that many of my fellow woodworkers would find contributing to a charity auction would be double the fun and pleasure when you are contributing something you built yourself.
