During the near four-month lockdown in most of NSW, as with all “non-essential” retail stores, charity & op shops such as Vinnies were forced to close their doors. As a result, they were largely unable to take donations of goods.
I can only speak for NSW, as a near-lifetime resident, but I expect the same applied to Victoria and other places around the country that were under strict lockdown regulations.
There was a prominent sign on the street shopfront of the Vinnies in my Sydney neighbourhood that it was closed until COVID restrictions were lifted and so to please not leave donations outside. Their donation bins around in the side street were taped shut with the same request.
Nevertheless, every day I walked past there were mountains of goods dumped outside both the bins and the shop, mostly haphazard rubbish. Even though much of it had originally been bagged up, passers-by had opened them to pick through the contents and strewn the rest all over the footpaths.
During the endless days of virtual isolation, many people obviously used the time to de-clutter their homes and get rid of what they no longer wanted. But much of what I saw outside the local Vinnies no-one else in their right mind would want, either.
Apart from the fact trucks had to roll up several times a week to haul it all away and contribute to yet more landfill – at great expense to the charity organisation, according to the workers assigned to sorting it – some of the things I saw “donated” were an insult to basic human decency.
There were old, worn out and/or dirty clothes and shoes, damaged or downright dreadful accessories, towels and bed linen that hadn’t seen a washing machine in what looked like years, chipped crockery and ornaments, broken toys, “artwork” (much of it in damaged or no frames) that would be rejected as ornamentation for a rancid public toilet, old electrical goods – which op shops aren’t allowed to sell anyway by law – and boxes of books that had to be thrown out if it had rained. I even spotted soiled underwear and nappies.
Charity: If you wouldn’t give it to a mate, don’t donate
Just because it’s charity, a person in need does not deserve things you wouldn’t inflict on your deadliest enemy. They need useful items in decent condition that are clean.
Nor do charities that are in more demand than ever deserve to have to spend money sorting and carting away rubbish; money that is desperately needed to help people.
I’m told it’s a popular saying in the industry: “If you wouldn’t give it to a mate, don’t donate.”
It was also pointed out to Thrive 50plus by one charity that if goods are also just dumped on the ground outside op shops or their bins, they can become contaminated and would need to be thrown out anyway. More waste, on several levels.
Even though lockdown has been lifted in NSW and Victoria for now, demand for second-hand, recycled, upcycled, vintage – however you want to describe it – goods has never been greater. And the demand is predicted to escalate.
When op shops in NSW were allowed to reopen with other retail stores on “Freedom Day”, October 11, the queue outside my local Vinnies extended a block. A queue persisted for several days (as only a certain number of people were allowed in-store at any one time).
Another charity reported that the reopening of their op shop in Sydney’s east on Freedom Day was one of the busiest in memory.
Australian Lee-Anne Carter, a longtime fashion editor, stylist and trend forecaster working here and in Europe (she was Swarovski’s international forecaster, based in Austria for nine years and now commutes between Austria and Morocco on various projects), says many people know she is a huge fan of vintage, secondhand, recycled, upcycled anything … with a dilemma about fur. She has now founded the Creative Soul Agency.
“Secondhand apparel is possibly my first true, and remains my forever, love,” she says.
“I have been buying vintage since I can remember starting to buy my own clothes, and that was around the age of 11.
“And it seems I am not alone. With the pandemic and lockdowns’ ramifications forcing us to reassess our spending habits and making us look at how fast-fashion has impacted the environment, secondhand shopping is fast gathering pace for a new generation focused on sustainability, with over 40 percent of Millennials and Gen Z shopping for secondhand apparel, shoes and accessories in the past 12 months.”
When opportunity doesn’t knock
For all the great bargains and finds that can be had at op shops, there are many people now who simply cannot afford to shop there, either, until they get back on their feet.
They need basic life essentials – like food, bed linen and towels, and things like vacuum cleaners, to tide then through.
Sydney woman Clementine Hartson, helped by her mother, saw an opportunity to return the kindness she had once been shown though a difficult time in her life.
In 2017, she established ProjectKindness.
“When I was working in a boarding house for adults with mental health issues I put a request out to the community for art to brighten up the house,” she recalls. “It resulted in so much positive feedback that I decided to set up a charity to share some kindness and make a small difference to people’s lives.
“In Year 10, I suffered from severe anxiety and promised myself at the time that I would give kindness back in some form one day, as I had so many wonderful people give it to me throughout this difficult period.”
ProjectKindness helps in a number of ways: from regular food deliveries to kindness packages for children, to stocking community pantries or upgrading people’s houses to make them homes.
It provides kindness and support to a number of people across the community.
It is not funded and relies on the community for donations. “We are a case-specific charity,” Clementine says, “so when we receive requests for items or support, we call on the community to assist with donations of specific items or food.”
Clem says that ProjectKindness has never been busier since lockdown and recently put a callout on Facebook for good quality towels and bed linen, as well as a vacuum cleaner, for clients.
She is constricted by what she can take because of limited storage space, but one kind person offered her a lock-up for donated goods.
However, she still doesn’t have enough space to take things like larger items of furniture. Do you have any space you’re willing to donate to this cause?
Originally Clem supported people within a 5-10km radius of Kensington [in Sydney’s eastern suburbs] and, because of limited resources could only collect items within a 5km radius. But wants to widen that radius.
“One of my biggest dreams is to have a location where we keep all our donations and somewhere for individuals to come and sit down, have a cup of tea and for some human connection,” she says.
“A lot of the people we support crave human connection, to be seen, loved, valued and heard. I am so passionate about this and believe that this is what life should be about.
“The community across all sectors – from businesses to individuals – has been and continues to be very generous with donations of goods, money and time.
“We would not be able to provide the service we do without the support we receive.
“We enlist the help of volunteers as required but prefer that we [Clementine and her mother] remain the interface with our clients.
“Some situations can be especially challenging and we are very conscious of ensuring that our volunteers are comfortable when they are helping out.
“ProjectKindness sees many very challenging situations which make us sad but it is always hardest seeing children who have been through traumatic scenarios.
“The individuals we support so show much strength and resilience. They remind me why we do what we do.
“People are very welcome to contact us if they would like to assist. An easy way to volunteer is for people to gather non-perishable food for the community pantries and help with regular food deliveries.
