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Wednesday, February 12, 2025
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Donate with dignity: How to truly help the poor and avoid waste

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Any donations left outside a charity shop when it’s closed will be ransacked and the better-quality items stolen. Photo: Unsplash.com.

Have you ever heard the expression “preferential option for the poor” but can’t think what that might look like in your own life?

Here’s a starting point: Don’t treat the poor—or our charity shops—as a dumping ground for your rubbish.

Instead, throw your rubbish away yourself. And maybe learn not to be so wasteful in the future.

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This the time of year when people declutter and resolve to get their finances and houses in order.

We’re also all feeling the pinch because of high inflation and the cost of living, especially on a fixed income.

This is putting pressure on people to behave in ways that they perhaps might not have done otherwise.

You might not know that charity shops are very prone to shoplifting and theft.

In some areas, theft from charity collection bins has led to their removal. People have died while trying to break into the bins.

Don’t treat the poor—or our charity shops—as a dumping ground for your rubbish. Photo: Pexels.com.

Any donations left outside a charity shop when it’s closed will be ransacked and the better-quality items stolen.

The often-elderly volunteers have to clean up the mess when they arrive in the morning.

Leaving aside the seventh commandment, what you donate to a charity shop also matters.

The fact is that most of your second-hand clothing and goods can’t and won’t be sold on by a charity shop. They will probably end up in landfill.

Worse, many of them will be sent via polluting container ships to developing countries to be tipped on to a huge outdoor mountain of rubbish.

Charity shops will always accept whatever they’re given, if they can. They will sift through carefully to find very good to excellent quality items to re-sell.

But most donated items aren’t very good to excellent quality. These will end up in the rubbish bin—which is where they should have gone in the first place.

Why do we give rubbish away instead of binning it? Part of it comes from a certain us-and-them mentality.

St James points out that even good Christians can mentally make distinctions between people based on ideas about poverty and wealth (James 2:1-4).

Make sure clothing is in excellent to new condition—the poor deserve the best. Photo: Unsplash.com.

We look at a hammered old pair of trainers and think, “some poor person might like those.”

You know what? Your hammered old trainers are unsaleable.

They can’t even be given away to the deserving poor. And the shoplifters are going to give them a wide berth.

Here’s an acid test. Look at the things you want to get rid of and think: “Would I offer this to a really good friend of mine?”

If the answer is no, then it should go in your rubbish or recycling bin, and not to a charity shop.

What can you do instead? You can start by sorting through your junk before you donate it.

Really good quality, lightly-worn clothing and footwear are always welcome at charity shops. More people want these than dirty, damaged fast fashion items.

Children’s clothing and toys should be in excellent condition. Otherwise they’re unsellable, because no mother wants tatty things for their child.

Are you concerned that the charity shop volunteers are stealing the good stuff for themselves? They’re actually buying items at a modest discount.

Too many people in our community treat charity shops as skip bins. That’s not what they are for. Photo: Unsplash.com.

But if you’re worried, then sell the good stuff yourself on eBay and donate the money. Or find a homeless shelter that accepts clothing donations.

Make sure clothing is in excellent to new condition—the poor deserve the best.

And always buy new underwear, socks, and toiletries to donate to the homeless. They appreciate them just as much as you do.

Homewares: if they’re excellent condition and of value, then donate them for re-sale. Or sell them yourself on eBay and donate the money to a charity.

You could also find a local charity that re-houses migrants and refugees who need homewares in a hurry.

You could organise a free clothing/homewares swap, or an old-fashioned jumble sale for your parish. Make sure everything is incredibly cheap, and everyone will have fun!

Giving away stuff is also an option. There are Facebook groups for this in most communities, such as Buy Nothing.

Photo: Unsplash.com.

Too many people in our community treat charity shops as skip bins. That’s not what they are for.

They are there to raise much-needed funds for charities, and to try to divert goods from landfill so that we waste less.

So your preferential option for the poor this year might be to donate excellent quality items for re-sale or sell them yourself.

And give the poor new items instead—the best that you can give them (Luke 16:19-31).

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