By Eternity Uwaifo
Upon first glance, Mothers’ Aid Op Shops are charity shops for children. The shelves are lined with different toys. Barbie and Ken are amongst the most popular. The clothing matches the weather outside with thick snow jackets and raincoats placed on the hangers along the rail. The familiar bleep can be heard throughout the store as a new person enters.
The shop volunteers wait at the head of the store near the till serving customers or putting new things away.
The store in Ballerup, open from 10 am-5 pm, has recently noted an increase in its customers.
“We have only been here since 2018, but we have seen increasing sales and increasing customers in the shop, and we can also see more and more people are applying for help. So, we are known here,” says Joan Henriksen, Shop Leader of this Moedrehjaelpen and Chairman of the local association.
Copenhagen is already one of the most expensive cities to live in the world. But the capital with growing inflation is facing rising food, housing and electricity prices putting families and those most vulnerable at risk this winter.
“Sometimes they can’t, they haven’t enough food for the whole week. One day they can’t eat very much. Maybe its oats or something like that,” explains Lisbeth, one of Moedrehjaelpen’s volunteers at the shop in Valby Langgade.
Although Moedrehjaelpen translates to Mother Help, the shop has a variety of customers. Grandparents, mothers and fathers frequent the shop, buying clothes and toys second-hand for their kids.
This story is for a middle-aged audience in the UK but could extend to all ages. The UK is currently undergoing its own cost of living crisis so that will definitely add to how the story resonates, especially as it addresses the issues facing those with young children. This story could be published on https://www.thelocal.dk/ (The Local) or https://www.bbc.com/news/world (BBC World News).