When you shop at Mount Joy Church of God's rummage sale, you'll be doing more than getting a bargain. You'll also be making a difference.

"Half of the proceeds will go to Mount Joy Helping Services, and half will go to our outreach fund," explained Heather Sharp, chair of the sale. The rummage sale will be held in the lower level of the church, 30 E. Main St., from noon to 7 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 17, and from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 18.

Items for sale will include puzzles, toys, games, household goods and shoes. Subs and baked goods will also be available for purchase. "We have a ton of clothes," Sharp noted. "We have a lot of women's clothing, but really clothing for everyone."

The sale is typically held annually, but it was canceled last year due to the pandemic. "This year, we have an abundance of items since we didn't do a sale last year," Sharp said.

One room of the sale is dedicated to books. "We have more than 100 boxes of books for sale," stated Joyce Hershey, book sale chair. "Everything is minimally priced, and everything is priced individually."

Hershey said the book sale will feature all types of books, including fiction, nonfiction and children's books.

"We also have a large assortment of sheet music," she noted. "We had a lady in our church who moved away, and she gave us a lot of music."

Hershey explained that she enjoys giving people the opportunity to pick up a book for a bargain. "If somebody asks me, 'Do you have such and such?' I love to be able to find it for them or match them with their favorite author, since I see all the books as they come in," she stated. "My goal is to get a book into the hands of everyone who comes to the sale."

Sharp noted that it's important to the church members to support a local organization like Mount Joy Helping Services through the rummage sale. The organization operates a food bank and a furniture bank and provides financial assistance to those in need.

Visitors to the sale should park behind the church and use the rear doors to enter. The sale will accept cash or checks only.