Vinnies urges Wagga residents to donate respectfully

On Monday the team at the Turvey Park Vinnies arrived to find an enormous pile of clothes at their back door that had been ripped from the bags they were brought in and scattered.

Workers said the pile of clothes was so big they couldn't even get the door open at first.

With a thunderstorm in the early hours of Sunday night, the clothes had been rained on and left ruined.

While thankful for all donations given to them, Vinnies southern NSW area manager Karen Lewis urges residents to ensure they are donating the right way.

More than that though, Mrs Lewis urges residents to ensure they are donating items fit for selling.

"Most people want to do the right thing, but there are just some things that we can't accept, unfortunately," she said.

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"The best way to think about it is if you would give it to a friend then it is perfect for Vinnies."

The Turvey Park Vinnies only accepts donations handed into the store, with the donations then taken to the Peter Street Vinnies for sorting.

"We don't have donation bins at the Turvey Park Store," Mrs Lewis said.

"But, if the bins are full or for whatever reason the shop is closed and they're not taking donations if people could bring them back on a day when we are open, or when we are able to accept them from them, that's the best option."

Without any protection from rain and exposure to who knows what, Mrs Lewis said a lot of the time clothes and items left on the streets that are then sorted through and scattered end up going to landfills.

"What happens is people leave them outside and then they get damaged by the weather or people go through them and leave them everywhere and then they become completely unusable to us," she said.

"What we do is try and eliminate all of the landfill that we can.

"Unfortunately, when things have been left out in the weather that's what happens.

"We had a storm come through on Monday night, so you can imagine if donations are left out in that, they are completely unusable and then we have no choice but to do that."

While not necessarily convenient for residents, those thinking of donating are being asked to do so respectfully, even if that means coming back at a different time.

"Please don't leave them outside. Keep them in your boot and bring them back next time when the store is open," Mrs Lewis said.

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