To the editor:
I am writing this letter as president of the board of directors of the Brown County Community Closet, on behalf of our board members and current volunteers, for two reasons: first being to thank all of those people in our community who have supported us through their generous donations since 1974, and by continuing to shop with us so that we may continue to serve our community. Just last year (2017), we were able to give back to our community a total of $18,443.58. We ask that you stop by and check out the list of our 2017 beneficiaries and see firsthand what we do and where the money goes.
Our second reason is primarily to appeal to those donors to respectfully honor our “drop-off” policy which currently is to drop off donations during our open hours which are posted at our location behind Subway. We have been bombarded lately with donations being left outside our doors, much of which must be thrown in the garbage due to moisture accumulated from items being left out in the rain or overnight. We are not even able to go through the bags if clothing is damp in any way.
We are also having many items left which we cannot sell due to those items not being in “sellable” condition (broken, just pieces of items, very dirty, etc.). The increase in the volume of these non-sellable items has mandated the higher cost of our disposal of these items. We had someone drop off a half-dozen large, older TVs which we clearly do not take as donations and cost $20 to 25 each to dispose of properly. It is our mission to help our community and by having to dispose of excess “garbage,” not all of our profits are able to be spent where intended.
We have very little storage area and our sorting area is quite limited. We are having trouble storing our donations until we are able to get through them. The average age of our volunteers is 65 to 70 and the workload is getting to be almost unbearable at times due to what we get and how fast we can actually get it out!
So, please, if it is something that you would not buy in a thrift store, dispose of it properly. We continue to welcome all gently worn/new clothing, small appliances, housewares, jewelry, books, miscellaneous small decor items, bed and bath linens, etc. We all love working in and for this community of wonderful people and hope to continue to do so for many years to come!
We welcome you to stop by and see what we do, and to shop with us! Once again, a huge thank-you goes out to all of our faithful donors and shoppers! We cannot do it without you!
Very sincerely,
Denise A. Loomis, Brown County Community Closet
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