Vinnies Volunteers feeling drained after unwanted sink donation

When it comes to unwanted donations, volunteers at the Toowoomba Vinnies on Ruthven Street have seen everything but the kitchen sink.

Until now.

On a recent Saturday morning, Vinnies volunteers arrived on site to find an entire kitchen dumped on their door, with cabinets, benchtops and yes, a full kitchen sink, complete with soaked particleboards from overnight rain and pipes caked in old food scraps and grease.

Toowoomba Retail Operations Manager Adam Bruggeman said the surprise kitchen was the latest example in a growing number of strange and unsellable items left at local op-shops.

“Most of the people that donate to Vinnies are generous and thoughtful and we are very thankful for that, but occasionally we’re treated as a rubbish dump,” Adam said.

“The day of the kitchen dumping, it was just myself and one of our 80-year old volunteers on duty. Moving it was not a fun time.

“Our Volunteers generously give their time to process and sell our donations to raise important funds to help locals experiencing homelessness, poverty and hardships.

“The time and money taken to dispose of these unwanted donations is much better used elsewhere.”

The kitchen donation comes just a few weeks after a Kingaroy Vinnies volunteer made national headlines after receiving another odd donation – a live two-month-old Chihuahua puppy.

This story had a happier ending, with the volunteer adopting the puppy into a loving dog-filled home and giving him the fitting name ‘Vinnie’.

“We’ve had live kittens previously donated in Toowoomba before,” Adam said.

“Some landlords who are vacating a property after a tenant has left will often just throw everything in bags and dump them on our doorstep, which is always more of a headache than a help.

“We absolutely want and need the community's donations as they're the lifeblood of what we do. We just ask people to take a moment to consider what they’re donating.

“If your donation is quality, undamaged and not left outside the shop exposed to the elements, we can give it a new life and use the proceeds in support of the Toowoomba community.

“If you have a big donation, like furniture or, say, an entire kitchen, it’s best to give us a call first. A quick chat over the phone can save everyone a lot of time and heartache.”

Vinnies stores welcome donations of clean, quality clothing, household items, books and toys, dropped off during opening hours so volunteers can safely process them.

For more information about what makes a good donation, visit vinnies.org.au/qld/shops/donate-goods