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The Attic re-opens at new location

  • Published
  • By Sgt. Antony S. Lee
  • 70th Mobile Public Affairs Detachment
JOINT BASE MCGUIRE-DIX-LAKEHURST, N.J. --  When Erin Wilson's husband told her Afghanistan was colder than he expected, she didn't have to look far to find something to send him.

Wilson, whose husband is in the Air Force, picked up bedding sheets from The Attic - a store where service members can pick up donated household goods, clothing and other items for free - and sent them to her husband in Afghanistan.

"A lot of people really need The Attic," said Wilson, who volunteers there. "You have families that go through hardships of different sorts and this is here for them."

The Attic re-opened at its new location at 2508 Can Do Way in the same building as Pudgy's Sports Bar Aug. 12, 2013.

Allison Boyd, The Attic coordinator, said the store is open to all service members, their families and retirees in and around the joint base area. She credited the Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst community for its outpouring of donation support.

"We get so many donations every day that if we didn't open it up to everybody, we would just be bursting at the seams," Boyd said. "It's kind of like the thrift store, but everything is free."

The Attic, which is run entirely by volunteers, is open from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays and from 5-8 p.m. on Tuesdays and Thursdays. It is closed on weekends and holidays.

Boyd said The Attic exists to help out the military community -- retirees, service members and their families -- regardless of branch.

"You just don't know what somebody's situation is and they don't always want to say," Boyd said. "They know this is a safe place they can come and get what they need."

In addition to thrift, The Attic offers pantry items to qualifying service members and families. There are canned goods, everyday staples, snacks and even baby formula from time to time.

Red Cross volunteers also help out with the Attic by picking up food items such as bread, cakes and pies every Wednesday and dropping it off at The Attic.

"It's another way of supporting the troops," said Joan Brown, a Red Cross volunteer.

Courtney Nelson, a mother of two who has another baby on the way, said The Attic helps her family and that she visits it a couple times a week, especially to pick up baby clothes.

"It's not cheap to clothe your children," she said. "Everything I've gotten here is in great condition."

Nelson said her family also donates to The Attic as much as they can.

Volunteers are always needed. Those interested can either walk in during store hours or register at the website: www.jbmdlattic.com/Home.php. Volunteers and shoppers can also visit the Facebook page: www.facebook.com/JBMDLATTIC.

"A lot of the retirees around here donate stuff," Boyd said, adding that she often hears shoppers say things like, "Oh my gosh, my grandmother had this when I was a kid."

Members of the JB MDL community can drop off items to donate anytime at the gray shed behind the new location. Shoppers must be uniformed service members, dependents or retirees and have a military ID card to shop at The Attic.