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The donation bins outside Richmond Family Place are regularly a mess magnet after donations are picked through by the needy and not-so-needy.
Photo by Anja Liem
Donation bin treasures trashed
Published 2:02 PDT, Wed October 25, 2017
Last Updated: 2:12 PDT, Wed May 12, 2021
Many Richmond organizations rely on the
charity and generosity of locals to help those most in need.
But the continued ignorance and lack of
consideration for others by some people has created a headache for Richmond
Family Place. The non-profit operates a thrift store at 8660 Ash St. that
offers a helping hand to refugee and low-income families, but operates during
limited hours and on weekdays only.
A donation bin outside invites people to drop
off items after hours, but the bin has instead inadvertently become a mess
magnet.
“It was bad when I started but it’s gotten
worse,” said Darlene Hudson, thrift store co-ordinator, who joined the
organization nine years ago. “It’s a huge mess.”
Hudson urges people who wish to donate items,
to drop them off during regular business hours, or during the late afternoon or
early evening on Tuesdays, Wednesday and Thursdays when Richmond Family Place
is open.
Otherwise, the items are likely to be picked
through by people who often wait on weekends for the items to arrive.
Anja Liem’s husband volunteers at Richmond
Family Place and she has heard the frustration from volunteers who’ve had to
deal with the aftermath of people who pick through the bags of donations and
leave a pile of work in their wake.
“The usable donations are sold and with the
proceeds they help a lot of people in need,” Liem said. “And the proceeds support programs that
support the community.”
Liem understands that it may very well be
people in need who are rummaging through the donations.
To these people, Liem requests that they open
the bags and take what they need and put the rest back nicely.
“Don’t rip open the bags, damage the
donations and scatter them all over the place. They do this to the clothing
while it is wet outside and the clothes get soaked and cannot be sold anymore.
Breakable items (glassware) get broken and leave the volunteers to clean up the
broken glass.”
The thrift store, which sells clothing for
men, women and children as well as books, jewelry, linen and small household
items, generates 10 per cent of Richmond Family Place’s total revenue.
Neighbours and others who have witnessed the
pillaging of the donations said some drive pricey cars and live in beautiful
houses near Richmond Family Place.
Volunteers are also being put in harm’s way
whenever they clean up and remove broken glass and broken items.
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