HUMBOLDT — Some botched attempts at charity ended up harming the organization it was meant to benefit.
On Aug. 3, somebody dumped a coach outside of the Good Neighbour Store, which does not accept donations unless it is brought inside.
Before that, on the morning of July 29, somebody left a bunch of furniture outside.
“They didn't try to see if we were open, they didn't touch the door handle or anything like that, so we weren't very happy with that,” said Susan Braun, the store’s co-ordinator.
In this case, the furniture was rained on and everything was waterlogged.
Other reasons why items cannot be left outside include concerns about what animals could do to it, as well as being against the city’s bylaws.
The store had no choice but to haul the furniture away, at a cost of $30.
“When people do that, they're, in a sense, taking money away from themselves because we all benefit from what the Good Neighbour Store does,” Braun said.
The co-ordinator said that they haven’t had too many problems with donors dumping items outside, but they do want the public to know that when it happens, it is harmful to the organization.
“People have to bring it during our business hours, and they have to bring it inside the building,” she said.
“If it's questionable whether we will accept it, then you have to call ahead or let us look at it.”
Braun said that people have suggested the store have a place to drop off items when they are closed, but the work and expense of managing such a place would not be worth the benefit to the organization.
