Got em, got em good, the post Christmas blues. All the build up, all the hype. Rush, rush, rush, shop, shop, shop, cook, eat, then eat some more...anticipation, family visiting, then...it's all over. Done. Then what? Well, my grocery store has Valentine's Day candy where just days ago the shelves were filled with Christmas goodies. All Christmas decor is on sale everywhere. At the thrift store where I work, all Christmas items are 75% off. I just want it gone. Out of the store, out of my house, gone! Unfortunately wishing it gone from the house takes more than just wishful thinking! Seems like I just put it all up. Dragged all the boxes from the basement decorated, dragged the boxes back down again. I was not going to do a lot of decorating this year, but ended up with 2 large trees, 5 or 6 small trees, and lots of miscellaneous Christmas crap. It looks great, everyone was in the holiday spirit, especially at the little party we had after Andrew's college graduation. Sadly the holiday mood is gone but the decor remains. Until I drag those boxes up again.
I must also vent about people who "donate" old, broken, useless clothes, shoes, toys, and Christmas decorations this time of year to the thrift store. (Actually, anytime of year, for that matter). Anyone out there who is thinking of donating anything...think again! Take a good look at the items you want to give away. Then ask yourself these questions:
1. Have these clothes been in a box in the garage, basement closet, for 30 years?
2. Did those prom dresses belong to your daughter who graduated from high school in 1972?
3. Is that garbage bag full of old toys that are missing pieces, duct taped together, chewed up by the dog? Is that monopoly game in good shape, except it's missing most of the money and a couple of game pieces?
4. Is that end table in "great shape, if someone can replace a missing leg".
5. Is that mattress 20 years old and covered with questionable stains?
6. Do you think that all the stuff you have, no matter how old, broken, stained it is should be usable because a child with no toys would be happy with a broken one, or a man with no coat would be happy with a stained coat with a broken zipper, or a person who needs shoes would be thankful for the shoes you donated with no laces and holes in the toes.
If you answered Yes to any of these questions...you may want to reconsider your donations.
Don't get me wrong, we love donations, good usable donations, donations we can share with those who need the help. What we don't want is the garbage! Evidently throwing things away is much more difficult than donating them. Most things have a life. Most things cannot be used forever. Our agency spends thousands of dollars a year throwing away donated items that should have been thrown away by their owner.
Every day we hear donors tell us that they are aware that their items may not be in very good shape, or are broken..."but someone can use it". We really don't feel that way. We want the poor to be treated with dignity. We believe they deserve better than our broken, torn, stained clothing, toys, etc. Thankfully, we have many great donors who understand this. We do receive lots of great stuff, that we happily pass on to those in need. In fact, most of our donors are fantastic, most of our donations are fantastic! But this time of year there are lots of folks who are looking for that end of year tax deduction.
The last couple of days we have filled a semi with unusable stuff, that we have to pay to dispose of.
Just think twice, then bring in the stuff you know we can use, you know the difference.
Thanks... I feel sooooo much better now!
