Charity shops in Orange have appealed for donations after record demand for winter clothing and blankets has wiped out their stocks.
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The Salvation Army stockpiled 32 large bins of garments over summer for the winter demand but they sold out within eight weeks.
Orange Family Store manager Cameron Milne said they relied on getting stock from a warehouse at Minchinbury in Sydney but this year that was also short and could not help Orange.
It has left the Salvos storeroom in Orange empty.
“Right now we have absolutely nothing to process,” he said.
“We haven’t had any new items come in.”
He said that people had bought more garments than normal this year with some buying to help needy friends and relatives who could not afford to buy new clothes and blankets.
“Everyone is of the belief that it is going to be a particularly harsh winter.”
Mr Milne said they were short of garments for men and women of all ages.
“We usually have 6000 garments on sale but now we only have 4500.
“We’ve never got down to having nothing in the shop so that we have had to turn people away.
“I’m hoping it won’t come to that.”
Captain David Grounds said donations dried up every winter but this was a particularly difficult year.
“The demand has outstripped our resources,” he said.
“It seems to be across NSW.”
He said he had received calls from Cowra and Bathurst asking for stock but they could not help them, just as their Canberra and Sydney warehouses had been unable to help Orange.
Captain Grounds asked people to donate winter clothing to help the community.
“We can also come and pick stuff up from people,” he said.
The Orange Red Cross store manager Judy Webber said they had been overwhelmed with demand.
“It seems to be earlier this year,” she said.
“We are not getting the donations in and if we are it is summer garments which we store for summer.”
Ms Webber said requests for track suit pants and hoodies could not be filled.
“As soon as we get them in they go.”
She urged people to look through their cupboards for winter clothing they no longer needed.
“It’s men’s as well as women’s clothing.
“What they don’t want please donate it. We would be grateful,” she said.
David Fitzsimons
I am a senior journalist at the Central Western Daily concentrating on council, government and real estate issues. Before moving to Orange I filled senior roles at the Daily Telegraph, Daily Telegraph-Mirror and the Daily Mirror in Sydney. They included being an editor, news editor, chief of staff and reporter.
I am a senior journalist at the Central Western Daily concentrating on council, government and real estate issues. Before moving to Orange I filled senior roles at the Daily Telegraph, Daily Telegraph-Mirror and the Daily Mirror in Sydney. They included being an editor, news editor, chief of staff and reporter.
