This picture of donations left at the drop off in Melfort was taken Sunday night (Cam Lee/northeastNOW Staff)

By Cam Lee

Donations stolen, ruined

Residents urged not to leave donations outside of Melfort Salvation Army drop-off

Jul 20, 2020 | 4:01 PM

The donations are appreciated, but the circumstances not so much.

The Salvation Army in Melfort is asking people to refrain from leaving donations outside their drop-off centre.

Items have been piling up at the drop off centre’s doors during hours when the Salvation Army is closed, and that has led to a number of issues.

Captain Rick Robins told northeastNOW it would benefit everyone if people can hold off on donating those items until when the store is open.

“If people aren’t able to do the drop-off on the days that the drop-off is open, on the Monday, Wednesday and Friday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., then if they call they can make an arrangement with us and we will meet them at a certain time if needed,” Robins said.

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The situation initially improved, but as of late there have been more items left outside. Robins said one of the issues with unsecured items outside is theft.

“Just on Saturday we caught several people stealing stuff,” Robins said. “We do have cameras, and we see when people are taking [items].”

Robins said they were able to get some of those items back, and he would appreciate people not stealing things from the drop off site on Saskatchewan Drive.

Theft is only one concern when it comes to items left at the doorstep. The other is the weather.

“The rain has destroyed a lot of product here in the last while,” Robins said. “It’s rained a lot these last couple of weeks and it’s destroyed a lot of product that we’ve had to throw away.”

Robins asked people to just keep their donated items at home an extra day or two until the doors to the drop off centre are open. People from out of town or those who cannot wait can arrange something with Robins for a drop-off time outside of regular hours.

Many people have gone through their homes throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, and Robins said donations to the Salvation Army have increased the past few months. He added items fill up very quickly during the days they are open.

“We were kind of joking today that as soon as one vehicle pulls up it’s like a Batman symbol in the sky, that when one vehicle is there, all of a sudden the whole town comes to drop stuff off.”

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cam.lee@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @camlee1974