Goodwill a site for donations ? not dumping

The Goodwill Donation Center, located in Plaza Shopping Center, has had several instances where dumping has occurred after hours despite signs posted. Pictured is Goodwill employee David Honeycutt beside items he found under the trailer Wednesday.

?I just don?t know what to do,? said Goodwill Donation Center employee David Honeycutt. ?I come in some mornings and find a pile of stuff just thrown under the trailer.?

According to Honeycutt, dropping items off at the trailer isn?t as much of a problem as dumping.

?There are things the center just can?t use,? said Honeycutt. ?We don?t take large appliance items, items in disrepair or not workable items.?

When it comes to clothing, the center accepts items that are dry and not on wire hangers. The center doesn?t have the ability to wash or dry items that are wet. Storing wet items for a week or more will only cause damage to other items. As for the wire hangers, they rust and could cause injury to workers who sort through the items later.

?The problem with dropping off used items after hours is that it might rain,? said Honeycutt. ?If it does rains, it will ruin the items that were suitable when they got dropped off.?

This isn?t the first problem the center has endured since its opening three years ago.

?We have had items stolen from the center,? said Honeycutt. ?We managed to get another trailer. Now we put everything in one or the other trailer so nothing is left out overnight. But if it gets dropped off, there is a possibility of it being stolen.?

Despite the two problems the center has experienced, Honeycutt, who has worked for the center since February, sees the generous nature of Warren County residents and hopes it will continue.

For area residents who want to offer gently used clothing and smaller household items, the Goodwill Donation Center is still open. Current hours are Monday through Saturday from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Sunday from 12 to 6 p.m. Donations are tax deductible.