A non-profit organization is asking central Albertans to temporarily hold on to items they want to put in its donation bins.
Clothing for a Cause, which has more than 10 donation bins in Red Deer, has temporarily closed its bins due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Signs are taped to the bins to mark their closure.
“We’re just kindly asking the public to respect the signs and not leave anything outside of the bins,” said Elisa Humphreys, Clothing for a Cause’s founder and director.
“If they would hold on to their donation until after the state of emergency has lifted, we can welcome their donation at that time.”
In addition to the Red Deer bins, the organization has bins in Sylvan Lake, Olds, Innisfail, Didsbury, Sundre, Crossfield, Carstairs and the Calgary area.
Closing the bins is the safe thing to do during the COVID-19 pandemic, said Humphreys.
“You don’t want to end up in a situation where it’s too late to respond,” she said.
“We didn’t know if we were going to have issues with staff illness, and we didn’t know if we’d be able to send the truck to the bins.
“We didn’t want messes in the parking lots and stuff like that. We just thought it was best to close them down for now.”
Humphreys said they “haven’t had a lot of problems” with individuals leaving donations in or next to the bins.
“People have been super considerate. Anywhere there’s maybe going to be an issue, we’ve put up a little sign and caution tape as a further deterrent,” she said.
Clothing for a Cause also sends people to check on the bins, she added.
The bins in Red Deer support the Central Alberta Pregnancy Care Centre.
“It’s certainly disappointing to the charities we work with, but I think right now, the situation is so important. Our health, the health of our country and its people, is so important right now.”
Clothing for a Cause, founded in 2005, has been utilizing recycled clothing and household textiles to provide financial assistance to its non-profit partners.
sean.mcintosh@reddeeradvocate.com
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