Donations Make ALIVE House Sidewalk Sale a Success

Twelve years ago, Old Town resident and neighbor to the ALIVE House, Ann Matikan held a sale in front of her home that filled up no more than a card table. Matikan, who at the time was a grant maker, donated the proceeds of that sale to ALIVE (Alexandrians InVolved Ecumenically). 

From this simple donation sprang an annual event known as the Sidewalk Sale. At this year’s sale held last Saturday, dozens of tables lined the sidewalks on Payne Street and were filled with hundreds of toys, electronics and various knickknacks. 

Susanne Arnold has been chair of the ALIVE House Committee for 12 years and she said from that one table, the sale and the proceeds have grown each year. The shelter, which is the oldest of its kind in Virginia, houses up to four families concurrently and is supported by 42 religious congregations in Alexandria. 

Mike Oliver is a member of the Church of Saint Clement and has been volunteering with the house since the 1980s when he would help deliver furniture to the homes of struggling Alexandrians. “I put in a lot of work at the old building,” said Oliver, who can no longer tote around large items but can still recount the origins of the ALIVE House and helps out whenever he can. “Do you know who Grandpa Titan is?” he asked a group of high school volunteers at the sale. When they nodded that they did, Oliver let out a loyal “Go Titans” cry and went back to accepting donations and complimenting purchases. 

Many of the volunteers live in the surrounding neighborhood and, like Matikin, are very involved with the organization. “I think lots of neighborhoods have people in them who are isolated from each other, and I like to have events that bring folks together,” said Matikin who sits on the Advisory Board for the ALIVE House.

The items for sale were contributed by the congregations and donations of neighbors and passers-by. The organization made over $4,000 at the event, all of which will go directly to the ALIVE House and its operations in the city.