Tamworth Salvation Army grateful for flood of clothes, goods donated in COVID clean-outs

Tamworth's Salvation Army warehouse is piled high with bags and suitcases brimming with donated items since collection bins were unlocked two months ago, and it's not slowing down.

The local corp's captain Harriet Farquhar said it's been overwhelming in the best possible way.

"We closed for donations during the COVID shutdown and we've reopened again and ... it's so interesting, just the sheer volume of donations flooding in," she told the Leader.

"We are so thrilled with the donations, they are just wonderful."

READ ALSO:

She said the stacks of treasures in the West Tamworth sorting warehouse when the Leader visited last week represented just five days' worth of belongings that had been discarded in local donation bins.

"This is about a third more than the usual amount of donations," Ms Farquhar estimated.

"This is how much we would normally get at Christmas time, when everyone does their Christmas clean-outs.

"We were expecting it, and we were waiting, but still, when you see it there, it's just jaw-dropping."

The Tamworth Salvation Army Family Store in North Tamworth reopened for browsing a couple of months ago, and op shoppers searching for a new wardrobe are set to benefit from the tsunami of goods.

"We're in a transitional season at the moment, so people are clearing out their winter and summer stuff," Ms Farquhar said.

"We will keep some stock to get us through next winter and we're also beautifully set up for the summer."

Despite being close to bursting at the seams, Ms Farquhar said the charity is set up to deal with the surge and would love it to keep coming, so they can continue helping people in need.

"The Tamworth public have been incredibly generous with their donations, and we are really really appreciative," she said.

"We gave away about 300 or 400 blankets during the lockdown to people who needed them.

"Some of the clothes get turned into rags, some get sold on to other stores and we can help them out, and some of it gets sold in our family store - the best stuff."

The process is slowed down slightly by some health precautions, like quarantining donations before sorting.

"We've got more people volunteering and we've got them volunteering here for longer hours," Ms Farquhar said.

Want more local news? Subscribe to the Leader to read it here first

Have your say. Click this link to send a letter to the editor