Great Glebe Garage Sale hopes virtual event can fill fundraising gap for Ottawa Food Bank

This year's edition of the Great Glebe Garage Sale is going online in order to continue its annual support for the Ottawa Food Bank.

The Glebe Community Association says the virtual edition is being put on from July 20 through to September 7, with the help of Ottawa-based app GiveShop. 

Organizers believe it will be a great way for residents to sell their stuff online while supporting the Ottawa Food Bank; The Ottawa Food Bank gets the money from the sale, and sellers get a charitable tax receipt for the purchase amount. 

Last year's garage sale raised $12,000 for the food bank, so organizers say they don't want to leave that big of a fundraising gap for the charity in 2020.

This year’s in-person event was cancelled due to COVID-19, of course. Normally, homeowners in the Glebe are the primary vendors working on their front lawns, driveways and porches. Collectively they make one giant sale that has become an annual community festival, attracting thousands of people to the neighbourhood.

To participate in this year's sale, sellers and buyers are simply asked to download the GiveShop app, choose the Great Glebe Garage Sale fundraising group and begin selling and purchasing items online. Payment is handled through the app and sellers and buyers arrange for pick up. All proceeds, minus GiveShop’s 15 per cent platform fee, go directly to the Ottawa Food Bank.