Collaborating with Vinnies, Rotary of Elizabeth Quay and volunteers from the community had the opportunity to go behind the scenes at Vinnies warehouse to help sort out donated clothes.
Vinnies is a non-for-profit organisation which operates in 153 countries and has over 800,000 members worldwide, they provide accommodation and a variety of services to the community. In Western Australia alone they have over 50 shops, they offer a diverse range of items for sale, clothes, books, toys, bric-a-brac, manchester and furniture. Every item sold generates funds that go back to support their programs and services which assist people in need in the community.
During the Vinnies Clothes Sort Out events, a group of club members and volunteers teamed up and spent 4 hours learning the step-by-step process how donations received are processed from the moment they are donated to how the items make their way to the stores across Western Australia.
It was an eye-opening moment, as we walked through the Vinnies warehouse and learnt about the massive work being accomplished. Each section of the warehouse was well organised according to the goods categories, what required to be sorted out or were ready to go to the shops. The amazing support and generosity the organisation receive from individuals and companies of diverse industries by donating new beds, nappies, furniture, food, overstocked fashion among others. Some are donated directly to those in need in our community and others sold at the stores to generate income.
Going through the bags of donated items, we were surprised by the quantity of clothes which could not be on-sold. A large amount was just rubbish, we came across all sorts of garbage which should have gone directly into the bins of individuals. Among a few items which should have not been donated were low quality clothes that are ripped or shredded, baby clothes with vomit, stained underwear, fast food wrappers. During this session alone, 10 massive bins were filled with stuff which should have gone straight to landfill. Annually, many thousands of dollars is spent to get donated rubbish in landfill. Instead, the money could have been used to help improve the lives of Western Australian impacted by domestic abuse, hardship or tragedy.
To help organisations such as Vinnies, the community can be more mindful about what they give away. Donate only clean and good quality items which you would buy at op-shops; tie shoes together, pin belts to dresses, inspect the clothes being donated if there are no stains or holes.
By Vinnies opening their doors to what is happening behind the scenes and volunteers participating at events such as Vinnies Clothes Sort Out, it helps people understand the work being undertaken before the clothes are put for sale at op-shops.
Educate the community and spread the word so that we can improve the system and more can be accomplished with the same resources at hand. The quality of donated items makes a difference as less time, energy and money are spent going through donated goods and thus this can be redirected to do more for those who need it most in our community.
By Treasurer - Rachel Hiu