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Charities

Charity Bags

(37 Posts)
Greendorrie Wed 22-Aug-12 10:12:59

We seem to have a charity bag put through our door every week, and as I am not continually clearing out my cupboards they don't get used. However recently I have done a bit of clearing out, and thought I would make use of the bag that had just arrived. As it was raining I left the bag on the doorstep where it would have some shelter from the rain, it was ignored by the van if it came round. So the contents were taken to the local charity shop instead. This weekend I filled another bag, which should have been collected yesterday. The same thing happened again! However we had another bag which was to be collected today, from 8.00am. So I transfered the contents to the new bag. This morning at 7.30am I saw the van go flying past our house even though they were not supposed to come until 8.00. Do other people have more success than me?

Nonu Wed 22-Aug-12 10:15:19

I get those bags through my door as well , I don"t fill them , if we have any thing to get rid of just take it down to local charity shop .

Elegran Wed 22-Aug-12 10:19:28

I had two this week. They are very useful as bin liners.

janeainsworth Wed 22-Aug-12 10:25:31

I'm suspicious of some of them - I doubt that the charity is genuine, and they are just a cover for a business.
Not that that is necessarily a reason not to put stuff in them, you are still recycling I suppose.
St Oswald's Hospice in Newcastle will actually send their van out when you ask them to, so they tend to get most of my stuff.

Gally Wed 22-Aug-12 10:30:00

I have left bags on the doorstep for Age Concern which I think is now called Age Scotland where we are, and on both occasions it was pouring with rain and they weren't picked up; I telephoned the headquarter and complained bitterly and eventually they disappeared. I won't be giving to them again. It's easier to actually deliver them to your charity shop of choice, although a bit of a pain trying to park outside hmm Elegran I use the bags for storing items in the garage, taking stuff to the recycling and also for bins - I think on average I get about 3 a week but charities are so fussy these days as to what they do and don't want; I just put everything in and they can sort it out if they want to grin

Annobel Wed 22-Aug-12 10:41:48

I use the bags to take goods to the local charity shops, since I rarely get supermarket plastic bags any more. The Age UK shop is handily placed so their bags just go back to them. I also use them to take things to the Salvation Army bin at Tesco.

glammanana Wed 22-Aug-12 10:47:30

I have given up on leaving bags outside now as they where never collected on the due day.The Charity shop I help at has it's own van and we can arrange with customers when they have a large amount to donate that the van will be sent to collect Wed/Fri at a time to suit.Anything unsuitable is put in bags and taken to the clothes recycler and the Charity receives x amount of £s per 10kgs so all the articles of clothing are used in the long run.

tanith Wed 22-Aug-12 10:57:07

I never use charity bags delivered at the door I am suspicious whatever they say, I take my stuff to a local charity shop then I know its going to the charity of my choice and not lining some scammers pockets.

Greendorrie Wed 22-Aug-12 11:07:39

Thanks Ladies for your comments. It seems I'm not the only one having these problems. I will take my stuff to the local charity shop in future.

jeni Wed 22-Aug-12 11:57:29

I do the same!

JessM Wed 22-Aug-12 12:23:12

If you read the small print, only a proportion of the money raised usually goes to the charity that is all over the front of the bag.
Or sometimes they are obscure and slightly suspect "charities".
Suspect that clothes get shipped to other countries for profit.
Oxfam get all my cast offs.
I never give to small charity shops either, having once seen what can go on behind the scenes (mounds of mouldering clothes, to cut a long story short)

Annobel Wed 22-Aug-12 13:09:47

Guess what has just come through my letter box! grin

Frankel Wed 22-Aug-12 13:47:03

We get one or two bags a week. We use the ones from British Heart Foundation, partly for family reasons and partly because we know BHF (not their agent) will collect promptly. In our area, bags can be stolen if left. We very much avoid those dropped by commercial companies, even if they are make a donation to a charity, preferring to take stuff to a local charity shop (of which there are many). I did ring up a charity once to tell them they were wasting money delivering so many competing charity bags but was told they were given collection days by the local council and they were only following orders. I suppose they get enough bags filled to allow us to use the rest for rubbish.

vampirequeen Wed 22-Aug-12 13:51:03

I get a couple a week. I never donate through them. Some are real charities but some are businesses selling the clothes to eastern europe and parts of the developing world.

I take my stuff to the local hospice shop.

Annobel Wed 22-Aug-12 14:14:35

I give half and half to Age UK and the Debra shop because I knew someone who suffered from that terrible condition.

Sook Wed 22-Aug-12 14:51:48

I donate my goods to a handful of national charities and also our local hospice. I am very wary of some of the charity bags that are pushed through the letter box as I have never heard of them.

shysal Wed 22-Aug-12 16:20:42

I will only use the British Heart Foundation bags too Frankel. They are the only reliable ones, always collected.

Bags Wed 22-Aug-12 16:39:33

(Charity) Bags was a gransnetter fine.
(Charity) Bags thought this thread was mine!

Keep homing in on the word Bags confused

NfkDumpling Tue 28-Aug-12 19:34:59

Some nice person pops one through our door each week. I haven't had to buy swing bin liners for ages! (our stuff goes to the local Sally Army shop)

Anagram Tue 28-Aug-12 19:37:03

All bags are useful in one way or another, Bags!

GillieB Tue 28-Aug-12 20:26:48

I'm always careful about who I donate to - St. Oswald's Hospice in Newcastle leave a charity bag here about once a month and I tend to use those. I never donate if it mentions on the bag about certain percentages.

dallaslane Mon 28-Jan-13 11:55:05

Good people!
it seems that everybody has his own views,
well i used give charity, but after that i don,t like to have information about that charity.Any suggestion!!

Movedalot Mon 28-Jan-13 12:01:20

I prefer to take my things directly to a charity where I can gift aid them and then they get additional money from the government. At least that way I know it has gone where I want it to.

Age UK will collect items of furniture and electricals which is useful to know.

Anything I can't give to these sources goes on Freecycle so not much gets wasted from this house.

Elegran Mon 28-Jan-13 12:06:19

Some of the bags say that the clothes you give will benefit the poor abroad, but what they don't add is that they will be sold to those poor people, making a profit for the collecting agency.

soop Mon 28-Jan-13 12:20:22

The local village school collects clothing for recycling. For every kilo collected, the school benefits financially and puts the proceeds to good use.