What’s happening?
Volunteers at Vinnies Toowoomba on Ruthven Street arrived on a recent Saturday morning to an unexpected sight.
An entire kitchen had been dumped at their door. Cabinets and benchtops were stacked outside. A full kitchen sink had also been left behind.
The items had been exposed to overnight rain. Particleboards were soaked. Pipes were caked in old food scraps and grease.
Toowoomba Retail Operations Manager Adam Bruggeman said it was the latest in a growing number of strange and unsellable items left at local op shops.
“Most of the people who donate to Vinnies are generous and thoughtful, and we are very thankful for that, but occasionally we’re treated as a rubbish dump,” Adam said.
“The day of the kitchen dumping, it was just myself and one of our 80-year old volunteers on duty. Moving it was not a fun time.”
Why it matters
Vinnies relies on community donations to raise funds for people facing homelessness, poverty and hardship.
When damaged or unsuitable items are left outside, volunteers must spend time and money disposing of them. That takes resources away from frontline support.
“Our Volunteers generously give their time to process and sell our donations to raise important funds to help locals experiencing homelessness, poverty and hardships,” Adam said.
“The time and money taken to dispose of these unwanted donations is much better used elsewhere.”
Adam said the issue is not limited to one-off incidents.
“Some landlords who are vacating a property after a tenant has left will often just throw everything in bags and dump them on our doorstep, which is always more of a headache than a help,” he said.
Local impact
The incident placed physical strain on a small volunteer team working that morning.
Items left exposed to the weather cannot be sold. Once damaged, they must be treated as waste.
Vinnies Toowoomba is located at 689 to 691 Ruthven Street. The store is open 9 am to 4 pm Monday to Friday, 9 am to 2 pm on Saturdays and 10 am to 2 pm on Sundays.
The store welcomes donations of clean, quality clothing, household items, books and toys. Donations should be dropped off during opening hours so volunteers can safely process them.
By the numbers
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One full kitchen, including cabinets, benchtops and a sink, was dumped outside the Ruthven Street store and left in overnight rain.
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Two people were on duty that morning, including one 80-year-old volunteer who helped move the heavy items.
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A two-month-old Chihuahua puppy was recently donated to a Kingaroy Vinnies store, later adopted and named Vinnie.
Zoom in
The kitchen dumping followed another unusual case that made national headlines.
A Kingaroy Vinnies volunteer received a live two-month-old Chihuahua puppy as a donation. The story had a happier ending. The volunteer adopted the puppy into a loving dog-filled home and gave him the name Vinnie.
Adam said Toowoomba has also seen similar situations.
“We’ve had live kittens previously donated in Toowoomba before,” he said.
Zoom out
St Vincent de Paul Society Queensland is devoted to alleviating poverty and homelessness across Queensland.
The organisation works to holistically support people experiencing disadvantage to regain sustainable independence by providing them with a hand up, not just a handout.
“We absolutely want and need the community’s donations as they’re the lifeblood of what we do. We just ask people to take a moment to consider what they’re donating,” Adam said.
“If your donation is quality, undamaged and not left outside the shop exposed to the elements, we can give it a new life and use the proceeds in support of the Toowoomba community.”
“If you have a big donation, like furniture or, say, an entire kitchen, it’s best to give us a call first. A quick chat over the phone can save everyone a lot of time and heartache.”
For more information about what makes a good donation, visit www.vinnies.org.au/qld/shops/donate-goods.
What to look for next?
Volunteers are asking the public to contact the store before leaving bulky items. A quick phone call could prevent similar incidents in future.