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Jackie Curd retires after 32 years at The Clothes Line

July 30, 2026   ·   0 Comments

By Brian Lockhart

After 32 years of hard work and dedication, Jackie Curd has retired from her position as store manager at The Clothes Line on Victoria Street in Alliston.

The Clothes Line supports CONTACT Community Services.

A well-known person in the community, a large group of CONTACT employees and volunteers turned out to wish Jackie a happy retirement at a party held at the Tipsy Fox in Alliston on July 22.

Jackie started out with CONTACT with a one-year contract.

“I was at the Alliston Learning Centre to get my Grade 12, and I did my co-op placement at The Clothes Line,” Jackie explained of the start of her career. “Near the end of my placement, there was a one-year grant offer. You had to have certain qualifications, which I met. I got the job for a year with the provision if we could increase things to cover our wage, I would be brought on full time.”

CONTACT started out as a single telephone helpline in its early days almost 50 years ago.

“It has been a privilege to work there,” Jackie said. “The people I’ve met, the customers I’ve met, the volunteers and staff and management staff I’ve worked with – I’m a lucky person. I get up every morning and look forward to going to work.”

The Clothes Line is a retail thrift store that was first opened in 1978 to help the telephone line that was operated by CONTACT. A percentage of the money raised at The Clothes Line is given to people who are struggling or have experienced some type of disaster such as a fire.

“Jackie has been at the store for 32 years,” explained Brenda Pufek, manager of Community Engagement and Development at CONTACT. “For a volunteer coming into the location, Jackie is very inclusive, and very understanding and compassionate. She’s almost built a community into itself there at the store. It’s a great experience for volunteers. Jackie is very reliable and will go above and beyond for anyone in the organization.”

Moving into retirement, Jackie said she has no immediate plans, but hopes to take a few months to figure it all out in a new lifestyle.

“I’ll probably take off around six months,” Jackie said. “We’re trying to sell our home in Melancthon and we’ll probably move to the St. Catherines area where winters aren’t quite as long. But we’ll always come back.”

Many well-wishers arrived for her retirement party and several people gave short speeches praising Jackie for her work over the years and thanking her for being such a good person to work with. 

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