What began as a table with a few T-shirts turned into an auditorium of salvation.
For the past three Saturdays, the worship center at Northminster Baptist Church on Richmond's North Side has been transformed into a free mini-flea market.
Dozens of round tables are stacked with sweatshirts and jeans, Star Wars toys and socks.
Those who need the items begin lining up at 8 a.m. -- even though the doors won't open for two more hours.
Each Saturday has seen 200 to 300 people crowd the room, all of them learning of this Free Market simply by word of mouth in their communities.
"It's like Black Friday," said Cassie Matthew, the founder of the Free Market.
A few months ago, Matthew and fellow churchgoer Terry Smith lost a mutual friend to cancer. Wanting to do something worthwhile with the clothing from the friend's closet, they brought the items to Northminster during its weekly Food Pantry, the food distribution service established almost eight years ago by church members Carl and Jeanne Murdock.
"It started with one table. And then two tables. And then one room. And then two rooms, until finally, we needed the worship center," said Matthew.
While she is the primary communicator, sending 150 e-mails weekly to volunteers and 12 area churches, including New Hanover Presbyterian, Glen Allen Baptist and St. Michael Catholic Church, whose members donate goods, Matthew humbly shares the credit for the success of the Free Market.
"I just saw a need," she said. "I can't sleep at night because of all the things I feel in my heart . . . But, I couldn't do [this] without the volunteers and the people who donate. Every week, the wares have gotten nicer. It's just amazing."
This past week, she noted in her e-mail blast that a Free Market regular, Denise Williams, needed a bike so she could ride to the supermarket.
The next day, a bike showed up from an anonymous donor.
Yesterday, Matthew presented the gift to Williams, who squealed with surprise and giddily pedaled it down the sidewalk.
Williams, 28, first came to Northminster for Thanksgiving dinner and instantly felt at home.
A mother of four children, ages 16 months to 9 years, Williams lives in a North Side home with no hot water and no stove. Her husband works, but she has to stay home with her family.
"They really touched my heart," she said of her new Northminster friends. "I could be stressed out at home, and I come here and I feel at peace."
The next Free Market won't be until sometime in January.
Matthew said her long-term goal is to also bring in social workers to help those who might need more than food or clothing and to teach them how to fill out government paperwork.
"We want to be a minister to the people," Matthew said. "It's just been a huge blessing for everyone."
Contact Melissa Ruggieri at (804) 649-6120 or mruggieri@timesdispatch.com.
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