Friday was moving day for Garage of Blessings, and the Oak Harbor Sea Cadet Corps arrived in force to help.
The cadets, members of the “United States Navy Sea Cadet Corps Orion Squadron,” arrived bright and early in fatigues donated to them by none other than the Garage of Blessings.
“The Garage is like our supply for uniforms so we’re just helping out because it works both ways,” said cadet Marcos Torres, 16.
Cadet Maria England, 16, said that volunteer work is a major part of being a cadet, so helping out an organization that has given so much to the Sea Cadet Corps was a particular pleasure.
“Today we are doing volunteer work to give back to the Garage of Blessings,” England said. “They’ve helped us a lot with acquiring uniforms and being super helpful to grow our program.”
England, the senior officer in the Oak Harbor cadet corps, said she used the nonprofit’s move in part as a team building exercise to help gel the younger recruits into what she calls the “Sea Cadet family,” a membership that she wouldn’t trade for anything.
“Sea Cadet Corps is just a really great program,” England said. “It gets young teens and teenagers into the community… You get to learn things and see things that other teenagers just won’t get to see.”
“It’s just an outstanding program.”
The Garage of Blessings collects new and used items by donation and opens shop to let people of all walks of life peruse and choose from its stores for free.
Antoinette McCoy, Friday lead for Garage of Blessings, said that the outreach store’s new location, at 1751 N. Goldie Road, will cost the organization a pretty penny, compared to its previous storefront at 3159 Goldie Road, Unit A.
“We did find another location, up the road, but it is more than twice the amount of rent that we are now paying so we don’t know what’s going to happen unless we get a lot more monetary donations,” McCoy said.
Sea Cadet Marcos Torres, 16, assists Antoinette McCoy, Friday lead for Garage of Blessings, as they rearrange tubs for the nonprofits move to 1751 N. Goldie Road, Oak Harbor. Photo by Daniel Warn/Whidbey News-Times
