People donating items to a much-loved charity shop have been reminded to drop off their goods during opening hours.
Staff and volunteers at the East Anglia’s Children’s Hospices (EACH) store in Halesworth have noticed a growing problem whereby things are left overnight or on a Sunday.
They then have to move it out the way before opening – and in many cases, the donations have already been rummaged through, adding to the mess, or been damaged by the weather.
Shop Manager Maria Clark said: “We’re always pleased to receive quality, sellable donations and would never want to appear ungrateful.
“However, we’ve noticed a growing problem whereby we come into bags and boxes first thing in the morning – at our front door, back door and sometimes both. It happened every day for a week recently.
“It means we have to move everything before we get into the shop, and it creates various other issues – not least a safety hazard, because some of these boxes contain sharp cutlery, china and broken glass.
“In many cases, the bags have been torn apart, creating a mess and leaving items exposed to the weather, especially if it rains.
“We then have to put a lot of donations straight in the bin, which takes up valuable space and ends up costing us precious money to discard them.
“As I say, we are grateful for high-quality, sellable donations, and it’s the lifeblood of our business. I also know people are trying to help and do the right thing.
“However, we really do need these donations to be made during shop opening hours, which is 9am to 5pm Monday to Saturday.”
To find out more about volunteering in Halesworth, pop in for a chat, call 01986 874226 or email Maria via Maria.Clark@each.org.uk
For more information about volunteering more generally, email volunteerservices@each.org.uk or click here.