Boosting 'Hope' by buying bargains at tag sale

When Operation Hope's 23rd annual tag sale officially opened Saturday, there was an eager crowd primed for bargains already on hand.

The goods on offer ranged from books and appliances to kitchenware and furniture. Shoppers then queued in a line more than 40 feet long at the checkout to take home those prized acquisitions.

Held at First Church Congregational, corner of Beach and Old Post roads, the sale continued Sunday. Proceeds benefit Operation Hope, an agency that operates homeless shelters, a community kitchen, food pantry and transitional housing.

"Operation Hope started in 1985," said Lisa Bond, the chairwoman of the event. "The first sale started just a few years after the founding, to help fund operations and give people in the community the chance to help."

Operation Hope maintains enough shelter beds for 18 homeless men, six women and three families, according to Bond. "In addition, we have 46 units of affordable housing for 100-plus people and serve 475 unique households through our food pantry. We feed 50 people a day through our community kitchen, too."

Bond said the tag sale is still going strong after all these years because of all the community involvement -- donations, purchases and volunteerism. "We have a great team of supporters," she said.