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'An absolute disgrace': Op shop reveals 'sad' twist behind shocking photo

A charity shop has made an impassioned plea for people donating not to just dump loose items on their door step.

Staff have posted a powerful photo of the sight they are often confronted with when they arrive at work.

In this instance, not only were the items left outside in the elements, but in a shocking twist thieves also came along and rifled through the donations leaving them strewn across the ground near the entranceway.

The Living Rivers Uniting Church Op Shop on the Gold Coast posted an image of the clothing, shoes, children’s toys and furniture heaped in front of its entrance to Facebook this week.

“Can we please try and bag everything up when it gets donated, instead of loose items please? This is what our staff and volunteers see on a Monday morning,” staff wrote alongside the image.

Pictured is clothing, shoes and toys strewn in front of the Living Rivers Uniting Church Op Shop on the Gold Coast. Source: Facebook
The Living Rivers Uniting Church Op Shop on the Gold Coast posted an image of the clothing, shoes, children’s toys and furniture heaped in front of its entrance to Facebook this week. Source: Facebook

The shop also asked people to bring donations during when the shop is open.

“We can’t monitor and prevent thieving of your donations if they are left on the verandah when the shop is closed.”

Staff said people have been caught in the act pulling up to the shop in a car and loading it up with stolen donations in the middle of the night.

“People pull up with trailers and help themselves to all the good stuff. This is unfortunately what happens. We're looking at stopping this,” employees wrote.

Empty pizza boxes, used McDonalds drink containers and other rubbish has also been dumped on the shop’s premises.

“The staff and volunteers work extremely hard to provide a service to the community and this rubbish is unnecessary,” staff said.

In a similar case earlier this week, former Labor MP Emma Husar took to Twitter to lambast those responsible for leaving a pile of household goods surrounding a MS Australia donation bin in Penrith.

“This is not goodwill or charitable giving,” she began.

“This is being an a**hole, a litter bug and trying to make yourself feel better about it.

People disgusted at ‘ferals looking for something for nothing’

Horrified readers were quick to side with Living Rivers.

“Ferals looking for something for nothing. This is one of the best op shops you will find,” one woman said.

“That is awful. Kind people donate, and unkind people steal from a charity,” another chimed in.

“Sadly it happens at most op shops… Salvos on the Sunshine Coast battle with this every Monday poor things. And when its wet weather everything is ruined,” a third said.

Others said they believe the accused thieves were people in need to pick up necessary items.

Last week, desperate op shop staff from across Australia told A Current Affair theft has increased over the past 10 years, forcing charities to ramp up their security.

An undercover sting targeting people sifting through donations after hours in South Australia filmed 12 to 25 people visiting just one store in a single night.

“There's such a wide diversity of people coming in donating, scavenging, dumping, helping, not helping. We need to find solutions,” Omer Soker, CEO of the National Association of Charitable Recycling Organisations, told the show.

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