Annual benefit yard sale going strong after 12 years

This time of year is a busy one for Sam and Ruth Neff. They’re organizing their carport which is filled with end tables, tools and knick knacks. They’re also refurbishing small pieces of furniture.

Come this week they plan to open up the carport and much of their yard as they host their annual Doctors Without Borders benefit yard sale. It’s a job they figure they’ve taken on since about 2000.

It all started with a neighbor’s leftover treasures that weren’t sold at a previous yard sale. The neighbor wanted to get rid of the stuff, but the Neffs volunteered to take it.

“There was a whole lot of good stuff left,” Ruth remembered. “We moved it to our carport and continued the sale.”

Thus, began their annual benefit sale at the Neffs’ home on the corner of East Fourth Street and Pine Avenue. They split the proceeds between Doctors Without Borders and the International Rescue Committee, one provides medical care and the other shelter for refugees. It’s not unusual for them to raise from $5,000 to $7,000 each year.

Prior to moving to Whitefish, the Neffs held similar fundraiser yard sales at their home in Indiana. Having a strong interest in foreign affairs and Ruth’s background as a nurse influenced the organizations they selected. After Hurricane Katrina they also gave a portion of the donations to the American Red Cross.

The sale has become something area residents look for every fall. The Neffs might pick up items they see for free or put a few of their personal items in the sale, but most of it happens naturally. One night someone left a toilet for the sale in their yard.

“By the third or fourth time when we had the sale things started to appear in our carport,” Sam noted.

The Neffs sort through the items. Sometimes a piece of furniture might need repair or a new coat of paint. They make sure everything, even if it doesn’t sell, goes to a good home — often one of the Flathead Valley’s nonprofits that assist those in need or a thrift store.

“It’s like recycling things,” Ruth said. “We make sure that the stuff that doesn’t sell gets to the places that need things.”

While the Neffs primarily handle the sale themselves, they do get assistance from friends during the sale. Someone gave them a tent to house items inside.

“People are just wonderful,” Ruth said. “They are really supportive.”

The couple puts up a few signs to advertise the sale, but mostly folks find the sale on their own. If there’s a home football game during the sale, they said, they can expect a higher turnout and the sale runs into the evening hours.

“We try to keep the sale to 8 a.m. to 5 or 6 p.m.,” Sam said. “But it’s always hard to close.”

It’s also hard to not keep holding the sale every year. Although the Neffs were out of town when the city this spring set limits on yard sales, they heard their sale became part of the discussion when the city chose to allow 10-day sales every six months to accommodate sales like theirs.

Ruth said they felt honored that the sale had become well-known and people wanted it to continue.

“I’m impressed at how Whitefish gets excited about the sale,” she said.