An arson attack on a second Salvation Army store in just over a week is sending a clear message. The days of leaving donated goods outside these welfare shops is coming to an end.
Originally, dropping off unwanted goods was a charitable act to save the Salvos the task of picking them up - and thus saving them money. Unfortunately some people saw this as an opportunity to help themselves to items that took their fancy - while others saw it as an opportunity to save on tip fees - and get rid of unwanted - and more importantly - unusable rubbish.
Mattresses and furniture piled against Salvo stores constitutes a severe fire hazard and the number of stores torched in recent times indicates that it has become an unacceptable practice.
It seems that we need not only a law change - but practical action using both video cameras and the police to change the culture. The drop off must cease and donations to charitable organizations preceded by inspection and acceptance.
Unfortunately this will reduce the quantity of pre-loved goods available to those who need help, but to continue to see stores burning is just not acceptable.
As usual, it is a case of the few spoiling things for the many !
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