Who would deliberately cause a charitable organization the cost and inconvenience of cleaning up a pile of junk in its parking lot?
Disappointingly, quite a few people.
The MCC (Mennonite Central Committee) Furniture & More store at 31877 South Fraser Way is consistently plagued by individuals who dump stuff at their site after-hours.
Some might suggest those people simply don't know better, yet the store displays a sign clearly listing the hours that donated items can be dropped off.
It also states that they should be left at the MCC Plaza across the street.
But every weekend, staff return to the store on Monday to find a heap of items – such as beds, couches, toys and clothing – left outside the building.
If it's a misguided attempt to help, it's definitely not.
Most of the objects have to be thrown out because their history is unknown, or they can't be sold. It should also be obvious to anyone that furniture and mattresses left out in the rain overnight are useless.
Ultimately, it results in extra disposal costs for the charity – for example, $8 per mattress or box spring. An on-site trash bin big enough to dispose of these items costs $350 a week to empty.
The Salvation Army says it has the same issues at its thrift store on Gladys Avenue.
Most of the people who do this are not "donating." They're saving themselves the costs and inconvenience of properly disposing of their junk.
And in so doing, instead of helping a charity, they're causing harm.
Shame on them.