The donation campaign, which runs until January 1, can be called a success. More than 6800 euros have now been raised. “When you see what people give and write… Yes, that does something to me”, laughs Edens. “It is a big thank you from the village to me. That also gives me strength.”
The customers who come and go sometimes just come for a chat. “Then they come and get a door-to-door newspaper and they stick around for a while. Or we get children who come and get a bag of sweets or a lollipop. I think that’s wonderful,” says Edens.
It does mean that she is always short of time. “That’s why I plan to work with volunteers,” she says. “That again from the social function of the store. I would love it if someone could help with some handyman services, for example. That doesn’t have to be hours in a row, certainly not. But I think quite a lot of people like it to come and help.”
Van Spaandonk is happy that Edens can invest in her store with the money from the donation campaign. “The fact that so many people have donated says something. People cannot afford to miss this store. Many of these kinds of stores fall over, but we want it to stay. That is very important for a village like Tynaarlo.”