By Ethan Ready

keep your donations

Charities urge public to hold onto donations

Apr 14, 2020 | 3:14 PM

PRINCE GEORGE – Donation bins are overflowing and thrift stores are overwhelmed with the number of donation drop-offs despite being closed.

For the Salvation Army thrift stores and donation centres across the country, including here in Prince George, they were forced to close due to the coronavirus pandemic.

As of today (April 14, 2020), the organization is asking the public to refrain from leaving donations outside closed stores and at donation bins.

“Although donations of gently-used clothing and household items cannot be accepted during the COVID-19 outbreak, they will be needed when Salvation Army thrift stores and donor welcome centres are able to reopen,” says Lt-Colonel John P. Murray, territorial secretary for communications.

According to the organization, dropping items off at donation bins or closed thrift stores is not only a health-and-safety hazard but items are often damaged by weather or stolen. In any case, what potentially could be used for good is lost.

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“As a result of the COVID-19 crisis, the need for affordable clothing and items for the house will be very high in the days, weeks, and months ahead,” says Lt-Colonel Murray. “In the meantime, we are urging Canadians to please set aside their donations and bring them to a Salvation Army thrift store, welcome centre or donation bin, when we are safely able to reopen our facilities.”

Major Neil Wilkinson of the Prince George Salvation Army reiterates that all thrift store charities in the city are dealing with the same issue right now.

“Donations that are left outside of the facilities of a charity, especially in the elements, are no longer useable so then the charity has to incur costs to dispose of those goods that are no longer useable. It’s actually hurting charities of Prince George to leave donations out in the elements.”

Sean Shannon, President and CEO of Canadian Diabetes Trust, says they’re unable to pick up any donations as they’ve been forced to seize operations as their supply chain has been left broken with the closure of their retail partner in Value Village.

“We got to the practical notion that we can’t keep picking thing sup if we don’t have any place to deliver them to. That broke the supply chain at that point. We, unfortunately, had to lay people off at that point because our revenue stopped,” said Shannon.

Shannon states that the current state of many of their donation bins across the country have become garbage dumps, essentially due to the fact that donations are now being left to the elements and clothing items become spoiled.

While many residents have used their home-time to do some spring cleaning, essentially leading to bags of donations being accumulated, charities are urging the public to hold onto those donations for the time being as many are at capacity for storage with minimal staff as it is.

Wilkinson says the safest thing to do is to hold onto those donations until charities are in a better situation, allowing their staff to stay home as well to keep themselves safe in the meantime.