Delaware’s Common Ground Free Store, in response to feedback from the community, has upped its donation hours.

The Free Store now offers daytime donation hours five days each week, along with evening hours on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Thursdays. New hours for donations are 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. and 6 to 8 p.m. on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Thursdays, and 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Wednesdays and Saturdays. Shopping hours are the same with the exception of 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Thursdays, which is for donations only.

“Offering these daytime hours five days each week allows us to better accommodate those who support the Free Store through donations,” said Free Store Executive Director Sharon Griner. “And because we’re volunteer driven, we couldn’t have increased our hours without the many people who come to serve. We are grateful to everyone for their contributions.”

Griner said the new daytime shopping hours on Mondays and Tuesdays allow for a less-crowded, quieter experience for shoppers. No meal is served during those hours.

In addition to the Free Store’s increased hours, board members and staff are in the midst of planning its annual fund-raising event, Fashions & Fixin’s. This year’s event will be from 6:30 to 9 p.m. on Thursday, Sept. 14, at Ohio Wesleyan University’s Hamilton Williams Campus Center. Although Fashions & Fixin’s has taken place for the past several years, this is the first time it’s been at OWU.

“We wanted to find a location within the community that we serve, but one that also allows the event to grow,” said Development Director Mark Reed. “The Hamilton Williams Campus Center seems like a great fit, and we hope it will be our home for years to come.”

The event features dinner, music, live and silent auctions, and a raffle, and it’s anchored by the annual fashion show, an often-uplifting way to show how the Free Store serves the community.

Tickets for Fashions and Fixin’s are available at commongroundfreestore.org.

Submitted by the Common Ground Free Store.