MADISONVILLE, Texas (KRHD) — Donations left outside business hours at a Madison County outreach center are creating more problems than solutions for an organization trying to help those in need.
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The Sonshine Outreach Center in Madisonville, which accepts clothing and other items for neighbors in need, has been dealing with donations left after hours at their front gate.
"I've been here 19 years and this is a problem we've had in every location we've been in," Son-Shine Center director, Lisa Wamsley said.
The faith-based nonprofit has seen an increase in after-hours drop-offs in recent weeks, with items being scattered across the property and even into the street.
"The last three weeks, on Sunday when I on my way back from church, we just had donations all up against the gate behind us. We have a neighborhood dog, he had spread it all the way over and across the street," Wamsley said.
These unauthorized drop-offs turn what should be helpful donations into unusable items that end up in the trash.
"It's hard when it's been scattered, then you're literally picking up one piece at a time," Wamsley said.
When asked how it feels when people don't follow the simple rules of bringing donations during business hours, Wamsley expressed disappointment.
"It just makes me sad," she said. "You know when that happens, people that have the best of intentions, dropping off stuff that we could absolutely resell, use those funds in our outreach, it's all useless. It all goes to the trash."
With many families in the community facing hardship, the organization needs to make every donation count.
"People are like, well, you know, your store is full or oh you've got plenty or this or that, but, there's no such thing as having enough, and there's never a time that we have too much," Wamsley said.
The center is now asking community members to respect their donation hours to ensure items make it to those in need rather than ending up as litter.
"We all pray about it and and we just reach out and we ask everybody, you know, to please respect that and, and want to make your donation go to where it needs to go instead of going to the trash," Wamsley said.
The Son-Shine Center is applying for a grant to install security cameras in hopes of addressing the ongoing issue.
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