Hundreds filled the parking lot at Rockwell Park on Sunday for a Community Tag Sale to benefit Agape House.

“We wanted to do something that would benefit as many people as possible,” Jennifer St. John said. “As a group, we had a lot of ideas before deciding to do this tag sale. We chose Agape House because they’re a great organization that doesn’t get a lot of exposure. We couldn’t think of a place who are more deserving of this kind of support.”

“We never expected it to be this big,” St. John continued. “We had 45 people sign for spots, and they each paid $20 to participate. That money went right to Agape house and they’re still getting donations today. We got a great turnout.”

St. John is part of a Bristol parent group who recently graduated from a University of Connecticut class called “People Empowering People.” The group of PEP graduates, which includes Chantel Morais, Dulce Bravo, Rebecca Rodriguez, Normaris Ramirez, Paul Albert and Will Gutierrez, were tasked with developing a community project for the class. The result was the Community Tag Sale, which took three months of planning. 

“It’s nice to see everything come together,” Morais said, “and a lot of people came. I’ve been making balloon animals for the kids; it’s been fun.”

Volunteers from local nonprofit Making Bristol Better were onsite promoting reading in positive ways and providing free books for children. The organization also promotes fun activities for families to partake in, including the upcoming Family Fun Day event on Saturday, June 29. 

“It’s been really busy,” said Making Bristol Better volunteer Stephanie Daniele. “A lot of families have stopped by our table, and we’ve given out dozens of books.”

_{^{The crowd at the Community Tag Sale. | Laura Bailey}}

_{^{Left: PEP graduates Rebecca Rodriguez, Chantel Morais, Normaris Ramirez and Jennifer St. John. Right: PEP graduates Will Gutierrez, Paul Albert and Dulce Bravo. | Laura Bailey}}

The parking lot was filled with community members selling everything from clothing and furniture to toys and games as well as local vendors selling cosmetics, baked goods and 3-D printed crafts.  

Local favorite food trucks Greer’s Chicken and JD’s Fusion were offering delicious savory dishes to patrons and Peter’s Ice Cream was selling delectable frozen treats. Free coffee was available courtesy of Aroma Joe’s. 

“We’re so thankful to our wonderful donors and community partners,” St. John said. “Aroma Joe’s donated coffee, True Value supplied the table and chairs and Garrett Printing and Graphics made flyers and tee shirts for us. The food trucks, Greer’s Chicken, JD’s and Peter’s Ice Cream are donating 10 percent of their sales today to the Agape House.”

_{^{Left: Making Bristol Better volunteer Stephanie Daniele handing out books to children. Right: Chantel Morais showcases a balloon sword that she made for a child. | Laura Bailey}}

Agape House is a local organization dedicated to providing support and assistance to those in need within our community. Located at 43 School St., the day center is open Monday-Saturday from 8 a.m. to 12 p.m.

Matthew Norton, who has been a volunteer with Agape House for eight years, said that he was excited to see the community come together for the event.  

“I never expected it to be this big,” Norton said. “There are so many people who signed up for the tag sale, and we’ve received a lot of donations. We’re an organization that relies 100 percent on volunteers and donations, so this is big for us. The group from the PEP Class who set this up did a great job.”

The Community Tag Sale raised $1,569.30 in funds for Agape House. St. John stated that the event was very well received by the community, and that they would like to make this an annual or semi-annual event.

“The turnout was great, people are having fun, and it’s all for such a good cause,” St. John said. “We’re going to do this again. We were thinking of maybe holding another community tag sale in the fall. If not, then we’ll be back next spring.”

Laura Bailey can be reached at lbailey@bristoledition.org

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