The Salvation Army get ready for Christmas rejects

With families at home the holidays are often a period which lends itself to a clean out, especially with new gifts coming into the house.

For the staff and volunteers at the Salvation Army, Captain David Grounds can attest the goods which pile up in store in December can be difficult to manage.

“If people can hold on until the second week of January it helps us out,” he said.

Captain Grounds said while the opp shops won’t turn people away, if there’s too much for the volunteers to sort through carefully “really good things get culled” in an effort to manage the mess.

The Salvos no longer have donation bins around Orange, as goods were being stolen or thrown around the street in the early hours of the night – a common occurrence at the Vinnies bins in McNamara Street.

To give people the chance to do the right thing the Salvos will stay open every day excluding Christmas Day and Boxing Day.

Captain Grounds said the Summer Street store is the only place they will accept donations.

“To make sure it gets to those in need people need to make sure they’re coming in when the store is open,” he said.

“Please don’t leave things outside our building. If it’s dumped on the street it will go in the bin.”