Starting a gemach

Posted: Mon, May 30 2011, 7:45 am Post subject: Starting a gemach

I am interested in starting a gemach geared toward maternity & baby products. I do not live in or near the greater NY area. What do I need to know/do to begin something like this? Because of my career I often come into contact with people who are giving away used baby items, clothes, books, etc. and I have a ton of things myself. Instead of donating them to local (non-Jewish) thrift stores I wanted to do something more with them. How do I go about it?
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Posted: Mon, May 30 2011, 1:02 pm Post subject: re: Starting a gemach

Any advice at all would be helpful. I've never been to/used a gemach, don't know if we have them in my area at all. How does one borrow items - meaning, what information does one leave? Does it work like a library? What are the expectations about the condition in which items should be returned? How do I let people know I have things to lend?

Moderator Joined: Mar 29 2005 Posts: 18312

I don't think you can expect baby clothing to be returned. Most things are almost "disposable" after the stains set in...if people return, great; if not, no big loss as I feel like there is always baby clothing going around/donated.

Equipment should be in pretty similar condition to when you lent it out. Same with books....but you have to keep in mind a certain percent will be no good every year...

You can make your own policies, and it depends on how large your gemach is/ how many people using it...
You might want to have a database of every item, and the person's contact information as well as a time taken, and when you want it back by. E.g. an exersaucer isn't used for more than 6 months usually, so have a limit on that. A highchair would be longer. Books may be shorter.
It should be pretty simple using a spreadsheet/database program:
you can sort by date of things you want back, and see what is overdue. You can search for a specific item easily or by person if you remember someone borrowed stuff, but not what...
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Posted: Mon, May 30 2011, 9:46 pm Post subject: re: Starting a gemach

Thanks. Great info.

Posted: Mon, May 30 2011, 11:45 pm Post subject: re: Starting a gemach

I don't have any advice to offer but I keep clicking on this thread because it's just such a great idea! All these baby items add up, and to have a gemach with things in good condition of things that can be borrowed, well it's just a really good idea. I don't want you to get discouraged because you didn't get to many responses, if you don't get answers here maybe people in your community will respond.

One idea is there are different types of gemachs, some lend out and some let you buy for subsidized prices. Maybe for something like baby clothes that isn't going to last through to many babies, that can be a section where people buy things for very subsidized, like outfits for $2 and things like that. I think in some gemachs that money goes towards buying new items for the gemach or most likely that money goes to tzedaka. Items that can last, like books and high chairs, can be for borrowing. Just an idea.

It's probably also good for you to speak to some one who has a gemach in your area (I'm sure there's one for SOMETHING! like wedding gowns or Jewish books) and ask them how they operate.

Hatzlacha and I really hope this works out because it's just such a great idea!

Diamond Member Joined: Nov 29 2010 Posts: 2921

do you have the proper storage you need? storage is important? Do you have the room in your apartment/house creating space is a very important first step!

jI would love to have a g'mach but in my current apartment I barely have room for me and my husband I have my own things in storage that's what makes me think about creating a space..

Posted: Tue, May 31 2011, 1:13 am Post subject: re: Starting a gemach

I have borrowed breast pumps from a gmach. The lady tpok down my name and contact info. I think it was officially a 6 week loan period but she was a little flexible. I had to leave a fifty dollar deposit that she returned when I returned the equipment. When the equipment was returned there was an option to make a donation. I donate some money since I appreciate the service and I'm sure others do as well and I'd like it to be upkept.

Posted: Tue, May 31 2011, 3:15 am Post subject: Re: re: Starting a gemach

Posted: Tue, May 31 2011, 11:04 am Post subject: re: Starting a gemach

I run a baby gear gemach. I don't lend, I give. less work for me, and less worry for parents/grandparents who are borrowing. I advertise on luach.com (free) and there are some free listings in my community. I spend no money on ads. I take secondhand stuff, clean it, and fix if necessary. I sometimes spend some money on spare parts. I also buy people new convertible carseats. I don't deal with secondhand carseats for safety purposes. I have a small area in my basement for storage. I bought some heavy duty shelves on sale. that's all the storage I have. basically, the money I spend comes from maaser and occasional donations. while car seats are the most asked-for item, I don't think I've bought more than fifteen in a year and a half. I buy cosco brand, and I can usually get them for under $50.

I don't find this is a lot of work. I intend to stop taking clothing donations, however. people are less likely to be interested in those. there is a gemach near me that deals in clothes, so I intend to forward those donations to the other gemach. people in your area may be more interested in clothing, you never know.

in terms of policies, I tell people that they are welcome to redonate the items if they wish. if not, I ask them to pass the items along to someone else rather than throw them out or sell them. I ask, I don't make them sign a paper or anything. I don't ask for a donation, and most people don't give one. those who want to generally ask me how to donate and how much. I tell them it's a free service but they are welcome to give whatever they want. I also tell them that donations go towards car seats. people like to know where their donations go. also, as a policy, I give to anyone who asks. I don't ask about financial status or income. I feel that anyone who wants secondhand items can take freely. I have no interest in asking embarrassing questions.

I'm pretty laid back about this stuff, and that makes running a gemach pretty much hassle-free. you're welcome to pm me with questions if you want. there are no rules about running a gemach. you do whatever chessed you can in whatever way you can.

Posted: Tue, May 31 2011, 11:07 am Post subject: re: Starting a gemach

btw, I have my own baby items stored separately. they are not for the gemach. I lend them to friends who I know will return them, but I generally won't lend them to a stranger. I intend to use them for my future children. I would not recommend putting yours in a gemach if you want them back in good condition. you have no way of knowing what will happen.

Moderator Joined: Mar 29 2005 Posts: 18312

I was thinking about the clothing some more, and I think it's ok to have them be for cheap ($1 an item or whatever) since you don't expect to get them back and it helps keep things running to have a drop of money coming in (another thing about clothing even if it's in fine condition is that it's likely to get mixed in with other stuff, and they won't know what to return)...maybe have a few bris outfits if possible.
I think the Lakewood baby gemach charges a cheap price for clothing, but when there is too much stuff (before Pesach), they're free...something to think about.

Posted: Tue, May 31 2011, 12:02 pm Post subject: re: Starting a gemach

Wow, thank you all so much for these replies. I definitely need to see what the market here needs, whether to take donations or not and all that. Storage is not an issue for us right now. I like the idea of having new car seats. That's very generous, and a good price for new.