The Weyburn Salvation Army is reminding the community of best practices when dropping off donation items. This after a mound of donations were left outside the building overnight.
A post on the organization's Facebook page yesterday showed the pile of donations, stressing the importance of dropping off items during store hours.
Community ministries worker, Nicole Strickland says donations should be deposited at the proper time and place, as it can otherwise cost them time and money to clean up. Store hours are Tuesday to Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.
“The store staff is more than happy to come out. If you ring the doorbell beside the overhead door in the back, they will come out and help you and take all the donations.”
When donations are left unattended, especially overnight, it can cause a significant mess and cost the organization to clean up. These donations are also rendered unusable.
“We often have people leaving their donations outside, which then weather, we get rain, wind, and we also have people going through the donations that spread them down the back alley and over to the neighbors. It's a huge mess to clean up, and of course the majority of it does end up having to go into the garbage.”
“It costs us money to dispose of and get rid of, so instead of your donations going to good at that time, they are costing us.”
Strickland encourages people to call ahead if they have larger donation items, like furniture, to ensure they can accept the item, as they have limited space.
She regards the importance of donating responsibly, while expressing gratitude for the items brought in.
“We appreciate all the donations people send us. I just want to make sure people understand that too.”