It's a frigid winter day as Anna and Jeremy Evans pull up to their dual lockers at a Penticton storage facility. They work quickly and efficiently, unloading their stripped down Pontiac Montana minivan and neatly adding the contents to the small mountain of goods that's already growing inside the lockers.
A half hour later, Jeremy is off to Summerland. He's taking a wooden TV stand, a wooden storage unit and a box filled with kitchen utensils to the condo of a woman named Ashley Richardson. Richardson is so overcome to receive these basic necessities, at no cost, that she tears up and gives Jeremy a big hug as he leaves.
It's just another day at work for the founders of "Junk in the Trunk." Launched in November, the business is a combination junk removal service and online thrift store. But it's so much more.
It works like this. Anna and Jeremy pick up unwanted goods from anyone in the Penticton region who reaches out to them. If the goods truly are junk, a fee is charged to haul them away. But if they're at all reusable, the fee is waived and they're put up for sale - at reasonable prices - at their online thrift store.
What makes the business extra compelling is the attention to both humanity and the environment. For starters, they make every attempt to keep the straight-up junk out of the landfill, recycling anything they possibly can and even separating items into components to facilitate it.
As for the reusable items, not all are sold. Some are given away, with delivery, to people undergoing tough times. Like Ashley Richardson in Summerland.
And then at the end of every month, the couple hand over five percent of their earnings to the Salvation Army Food Bank. In December, they donated $145.60.
One day they'd like to up that total to 20 percent, distributed to several charitable organizations. Says Anna, "I know what it's like to walk down that road of needing help."
It all began last year when the Evanses decided a home-based business was the best way to eliminate daycare costs for their five children. "I was going to do a Handy Dart," said Anna, but there was too much involved with that."
"So we finally settled on an online thrift store where we also provide other services like delivery. We also help individuals in crisis. I'm always cruising those sites, like Mamas for Mamas. I want to help."
Judging by the reception thus far, Anna and Jeremy are onto something. There's already a couple dozen five-star reviews at their website, and they foresee adding more storage lockers and a bigger vehicle in the near future. They're currently in the process of converting their old-school GMC motorhome into a giant moving truck.
Anna is especially proud of a "kitchen package" she just put together for one of their customers, consisting of a crock pot, an electric kettle, canisters, Tupperware, a dish set, several pots and pans, and an eight-place silverware setting. She charged just $60.
"We didn't come into this to get rich," said Anna. "We just want to get this to where we can afford our mortgage and our bills and our five kids."
There are limitations. Although Junk in the Trunk can accept basically anything in "junk" condition (with removal fee), they can't do freebie pickups of sellable stuff like electronics or jewelry as they don't have the appropriate licensing.
For more information on Junk in the Trunk, check out their website or call 250-462-0904.
