This is why it’s so hard to donate household goods right now
Donation centers have reduced hours and limited the items they’ll accept, but they’re again open for Whatcom residents cleaning up while waiting out the COVID-19 pandemic at home.
The increased interest in donating has meant long wait times and limited hours.
The Bellingham Goodwill on East Sunset Drive reopened June 12 and has been accepting no-contact donations from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. every day.
People interested in donating at Goodwill now have to unload and sort their goods into labeled bins without coming into contact with workers, said Tammy Mckenzie, senior director of marketing and communications for Seattle Goodwill Industries. She added wait times at some of the busiest locations can be an hour or more.
McKenzie said there are usually more donations this time of year, but the pandemic may be contributing to increased demand right now.
“You know because people have so much time at home, I think they were probably staring at their houses in a different way,” McKenzie said. “So, we’ve definitely gotten more stuff.”
Despite challenging conditions, McKenzie said Goodwill welcomes these donations because they help fund the job training and education services they provide.
The Bellingham location is currently accepting shoes, textiles and toys as they usually do. However, furniture and large items are not being accepted due to space constraints, she said.
The Salvation Army Family Store on Birchwood Avenue reopened June 15. Store manager Cameron Berg said his store has definitely been receiving more donations than usual since the pandemic started.
Berg said his donation center typically opens from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. but the surge in donations has forced them to close after about two hours. He added the store is still accepting all kinds of goods including furniture and large items. “Our biggest issue that we run into is space in our donation center,” Berg said. “So, we’re just taking as much as we can but sometimes that might mean, maybe we can’t take furniture for a day or two, because it takes up a lot of space.”
The store is also keeping distance between workers and those who donate by directing donors to unload their items into carts, Berg said. For large items people might need help with, the store is asking donors to remain in their car while workers unload the item, he added.
While Goodwill and the Salvation Army have been open for weeks, the Savers owned Value Village on East Bellis Fair Parkway only recently reopened Tuesday, July 7.
Sara Gaugl, director of communications for Savers, said in an emailed statement that Value Village has taken the time to evaluate local market conditions and implement new social distancing and cleaning measures before reopening.
To enable social distancing, Gaugl said people can now drop off items in bins if they are comfortable. Employees are also equipped with face shields if they need to get closer to help people.
Most items are still accepted with the exception of large furniture that requires more than one person to move, she said. The Bellingham location has not seen excessive wait times, she added.
This story was originally published July 14, 2020 at 5:00 AM.
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