It’s not every day Oak Harbor residents can shop for free.

Well, actually, the opportunity comes around twice a year during the free clothing swap sponsored by the Ladies Auxiliary to the Veterans of Foreign Wars.

The second great Oak Harbor Giveaway Day of the year will be held from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 17, at the VFW Post on Goldie Road in Oak Harbor.  Clean, usable items can be dropped off in advance of the giveaway or on the day of the event; people are then welcome to “shop” for items they need — all at no cost.

“If people bring in six items and take home 60, that’s great,” said Amy Hannold, giveaway coordinator and Ladies Auxiliary member. “This event is all about what our community puts into it and our community has been very generous so far.”

Clothing of all sizes will be available, from infant to adult and will be organized by gender. Volunteers will take donations at the door the day of the giveaway, and items will immediately be sorted and put out on the floor. People can take as many ‘new to them’ items as they like but no money will change hands. People are invited to shop for items whether they’ve donated or not. The main focus of the event is clothing, but Hannold said household items are also available. Most importantly, all items should be in good condition.

“We want our event to represent the best of what people want to share with others,” she said. “So it should be clean and ready to go.”

Hannold said auxiliary members have already taken in a lot of donations. Since the event is in its fourth year and on a predictable schedule, with giveaways in March and September, people in the community have come to anticipate it.  And with the steady transition of military personnel in and out of the area, Hannold said they get a lot of items from people who are moving.

“I’ve already had people calling, and we’ve started taking donations earlier,” said Hannold.  “It seems like we have a greater number of people moving in and out.”

“It’s always a little bit like Christmas,” said Ladies Auxiliary president Joanne McDaniel, as she surveyed a room full of items to be sorted last week at the VFW. “Two years ago a storage company donated a whole bunch of items.”

“A lot is even new stuff people either didn’t use or didn’t wear,” said Hannold. “It’s pretty exciting to see what we’ve got already. It’s a good mix of clothing and household items.”

In addition to items for the swap, members of the Ladies Auxiliary are also looking for volunteers.

“We always need lots of help during the event,” Hannold said. “We need greeters, sorters, loaders, unloaders and people to help with the cleaning up after it’s all over.”

Because shopping for clothes isn’t always that exciting for some of the younger crowd, Hannold said children are encouraged to bring a book to swap.

“It gets them in the spirit of bringing something to share and taking something new home,” she said.

Hannold, whose husband of eight years is a retired Navy chief, said the giveaway days are her two favorite service days of the year. She said the reward for the women of the Ladies Auxiliary and the volunteers is being able to feel like they’ve helped others in the community who may be having a tough time.

She shared an example from the last giveaway in March, when she watched a young woman spot a stroller from across the room. When she made her way over to Hannold and asked who the stroller belonged to, Hannold told her it was for her.  Hannold said the look on the young woman’s face was priceless.

“That’s why we do this,” she said. “I can hardly wait.”