It’s a good-bad situation this week at the Salvation Army Austin Corps.

Wednesday, May 31, 2000

It’s a good-bad situation this week at the Salvation Army Austin Corps.

Clothing and miscellaneous item donations have never been greater and so, too, are the donations of furniture items.

However, it’s a case of "too much at one time," according to a spokeswoman.

"This is our peak time and over the weekend we just got in so many items, that it really caused problems when it rained and the items were left outside the building," said Lori Espe, volunteer coordinator for the Salvation Army.

It might have been the Memorial Day weekend, when bad weather forced people indoors and having nothing else to do, they decided to clean out closets, attics and basements of unwanted items.

Whatever the reason, the Salvation Army’s Family Thrift Store was inundated with items. The drop box quickly filled and when the Family Thrift Store employees and volunteers couldn’t handle the continuing stream of generous citizens, the items in boxes and plastic bags were stocked in the west entrance doorway.

But, it didn’t stop.

Items were left after hours Saturday, Sunday and Monday.

"We appreciate everyone’s generosity, but those items exposed to the rain get ruined and we can’t recycle them for the needy," Espe said.

On Tuesday, the Austin Corps took a truckload of ruined items to the waste transfer station for disposal.

"We don’t like to do that, but we have no other choice," Espe said.

The situation has prompted the Austin Corps to initiate some new rules.

Because of the peak-time donations, all clothing and miscellaneous items (those small enough to be in boxes or plastic bags) must be delivered to the Family Thrift Store during business hours only.

"We won’t pick up clothing or miscellaneous items," Espe said.

All furniture pickups have been limited to two per day.

Also, Espe reminded that the Family Thrift Store’s video surveillance cameras will record all after-hours dropoffs.

"Because the items left after hours could be furniture items such as couches, which would be ruined by rain, we have to request all items be left during normal business hours, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Saturday, so that we can find a place to store them out of the rain overnight," she said.

Also the peak-time situation has increased the need for volunteers; especially Thursday, Friday and Saturday. Anyone interested in working a short shift as a volunteer may call Espe at 433-6211.

"It’s a good problem, I suppose, to have when you have so many people donating so many things, but we need time on our end to accept and sort them and place them out for resale for those who need them," Espe said.

This spring, the Salvation Army’s advisory board began preliminary discussions of possibly acquiring another building to open another thrift store because of the great demand of shoppers at the current one.

No formal approval of a plan has been forthcoming.