Orange Credit Union donates winter clothing, blankets to Orange Vinnies

More than $5550 was also raised by Orange Credit Union (OCU) to support Vinnies with its 'spare change to make a change for the better'.

The clothing drive and donation was part of the company's annual winter appeal which is held in conjunction with the Vinnies CEO Sleepout.

In 2021 OCU CEO Andrew de Graaff raised over $5000 personally to help those in need.

Vinnies regional director Phil Donnan said the support as well as the donation of good quality items was highly appreciated.

While the local store expects to be well-stocked with winter items for the rest of the season, Vinnies was always in need of good quality items.

"Whether that be clothes, bric-a-brac, furniture, or any donation that's going to be of value that we could sell through the stores or hand out to people directly, is always appreciated," Mr Doonan said.

"Unfortunately, a proportion of what we get is unusable [because it's] soiled [or] damaged... and that all goes to landfill.

"What we really need is clothes that are in good condition, of reasonable quality and not... fast fashion stuff [which] people wear a few times and it stretches then goes in the bin. We can't do anything more with that stuff.

"Good quality garments in good condition are absolute gold to us."

Those experiencing hardship are then prioritised by Vinnies to receive the donated items, while the rest of the items go into the volunteer-run stores for resale.

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