Dallas - August 28, 2006

Buy and Large

Ways to Shop and Serve the Community

You’ve mastered the doing-unto-yourself part. It’s the bit about doing unto others you could use a little help with. Here are a few ways to accomplish both with a single shopping trip.

Feeling Blue
Old pair of denims got you down? Donate them until August 31 to The Blues Jean Bar (6810 Snider Plaza; 214-368-5326) during its jeans drive. Your former favorites go to good use at local women’s shelters, and you get a discount (up to 20 percent) on your next pair.

Home on the Change
Charity’s not extinct at Buffalo Exchange (3424 Greenville Avenue; 214-826-7544). After you pay for your threads, exchange your shopping bags for 5-cent tokens. Drop them into a box on the wall that’s designated for one of three local nonprofit charities — and your good deed? So done.

Keeping the Faith
Shopping’s (seriously) a religious experience at St. Michael’s Woman’s Exchange (5 Highland Park Village; 214-521-3862). Volunteers run this gift shop featuring wares like children’s blankets, James Avery charms, and Lady Primrose bath and skin products. Net proceeds each year are distributed by St. Michael and All Angels Episcopal Church to outreach projects and missions around the world.

Burberry-ed Treasures
You never know what you’ll find inside the Hope Chest Resale Shop (4209 McKinney Avenue; 214-520-1087). Clothing donations come in from all over Dallas (including the close-by Park Cities), which means good deals on designer labels abound. Even better? Earnings help support programs at Hope Cottage Pregnancy and Adoption Center.

See? You’ve mastered the Golden Rule, just like that. Now get ready to shine.