The Doctors Without Borders yard sale in Whitefish is back this year by popular demand. 

Ruth Neff and her husband, Sam, have spent the last week cleaning donations and arranging their yard to prepare for the sale, which will start tonight and run until Sept. 19. 

The sale, held every September since 2001 with the exception of last year, is hosted by the Neffs to raise money and awareness for the volunteer organization Doctors without Borders. 

The sale takes place at their home on the corner of East Fourth Street and Pine Avenue. 

“It’s a wonderful cause,” Ruth Neff says. Although Neff never worked directly for the organization, she worked as a nurse for many years, and the couple has often volunteered in countries in need of medical help. 

The sale did not happen last year because the couple traveled to Israel to volunteer in a school. However, Neff said the sale is back in full force this year. 

People donate things throughout the week — and sometimes during the year — to the sale they know will happen each fall. 

“We have a king-sized bed this year,” Neff said. “And a beautiful desk. It’s amazing the things that people find in their garage and just bring down.” 

Neff and a group of volunteers work tirelessly in the week leading up to the sale, cleaning, organizing, and trying to keep everything dry. This year, tarps and garbage bags are tied around everything due to the weather. 

One such volunteer is Manita Coggins. 

Coggins says the cause is particularly special to her because she volunteered with Doctors without Borders  in 2003, when she traveled to Angola to set up a starvation treatment center. Coggins worked in Angola for 3 1/2 years before being sent home due to illness, but she said the program is one of the best out there. 

“It’s all volunteer-based,” Coggins said. “All of the funding for the organization comes from donations or fundraisers and the doctors are not paid. But you do it because these countries need you.” 

With the Ebola outbreak in Africa, Coggins says this is a pivotal time for Doctors without Borders, one of the primary organizations providing treatment for people who come down with the deadly viral disease. 

“They’re hurting for funding,” she said. “And they need all the help they can get, so they can help the patients.” 

Coggins said the organization strives to educate people in areas where it assists so people can continue to help themselves after the volunteers leave. 

The Whitefish yard sale usually raises between $5,000 and $7,000 each year. Neff said that they hope to start selling quickly to get some of the nicer items out of the elements. 

While people generally want the best deals, Neff asks them to keep in mind that this is a fundraiser for a good cause. 

“We have this notion that we just want to get the most for our buck,” she said. “We don’t have to see or deal with some of the problems that are happening in the world, but they do need our help.” 

There will be one new addition to this year’s sale — a beverage stand. 

Coggins’ granddaughter, Olive Smeltzer, 5, will team up with Neff’s neighbor, Laelia Pappenfus, 3, to sell beverages both Fridays of the sale. The girls will set up shop next door on Pappenfus’ lawn and will either sell lemonade or hot chocolate, based on the weather. 

And, of course, the girls want to donate to Doctors without Borders. 

“We’re helping the doctors who help people,” Pappenfus said shyly. 

The yard sale will run from 8 a.m. until 5 or 6 p.m. daily, although the Neffs say they always have a hard time shutting down for the evening.  

Reporter Brianna Loper may be reached at 758-4441 or by email at bloper@dailyinterlake.com.