Summer 2025

Co-leaders of Community Reuse Network Joan Clay, Carolann Manley and Sharon Sintetos at Embassy Suites— one of the first businesses to partner with the network . A bout a decade ago, while helping with a Monterey fundraiser, Carolann Manley noticed that the YMCA needed some books. She gathered about 2,000 volumes donated by local secondhand stores, and later sourced donated lobby furniture from a hotel undergo- ing renovations. Since then, Manley and Community Reuse Network co-leaders Joan Clay and Sharon Sintetos have coordinated donations from resorts, restaurants, businesses and hospitals. These partners give gently used furnishings and oJfiGe eUuipment E seGond liJe [Lile benefiting more than 50 Monterey County charities. 7ome goods go to benefit sLops operEted by groups like Yellow Brick Road or Habitat for Humanity. They raise funds by selling the items. Other times, furniture and housewares help organizations managing apartments for ZeterEns JEmilies ¾eeing domestiG ZiolenGe and people who lack stable housing. Donations migLt Elso outfit nonprofit oJfiGes [itL desOs chairs and supplies. The goods help philanthropic groups stretch limited budgets. “If we can support staff, that helps them support more people in the community,” Manley says. The work of her all-volunteer team reminds nonprofit proJessionEls End indiZiduEls in rebuilding mode that they matter. “It helps people feel less alone. It lets them know that others want them to be successful,” Manley says. “These are valuable items, and they provide a lot of value.” For more information, call 831/236-2377 or visit www.communityreusenetwork.org. Community Reuse Network )Uuips 2onprofits for Success B Y R ENE E B R I NCK S SHORT CUTS GIVING BACK 88 C A R M E L M A G A Z I N E • S U M M E R 2 0 2 5 Photo: Kelli Uldall