Basic Needs Ministry - Incoming Clothing Donations

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Basic Needs Ministry receives almost 300,000 pieces of clothing and household items annually.

Basic Needs Ministry operates two warehouse bays, about 4,000 sq. ft., at an operating cost of $40,000 annually. Like most charities, Basic Needs receives a massive amount of trash each year in its donations. This is one reason the IRS started denying tax deductions for dirty and torn clothing and small items without substantial value. Basic Needs can fill 52 8 cu. yd. dumpsters or its one warehouse bay to over 7' deep each year. It is not an option, considering our resources, to keep it all and it is not deemed fit to give or sell. Since there is no space to sort, bale, and store most of it for recycling, it is sent to the landfill at a cost of $1,700. The food pantry could get $60,000 worth of food, if we had that $1,700, or just pay another month's rent each year.

In Johnston County, dumping goods on private property is an offense for the sheriff, regardless if the dump site is rented by a charity. This practice has blocked several well-known charities from locating in better locations, including a site on Timber Drive in Garner.

We pulled in the driveway at 5:30 p.m. on Monday June 19, 2006 and found a small truck load of goods piled in the drive. By 9:30 p.m., 4 hours later, it had been brought in and sorted.

Now only was it in the parking lot, but two bags had been thrown on top of the shipping container. We left the bags on top on Monday. This pile and sprawl took more parking space than our top picture could show.

Once the rains ruin the clothes and books, they must be sent to the landfill.

This clothing has been sorted once to remove 8-9 of every 10 items, which were dirty and torn, and the pile still takes up the center of our lobby.
On the right and behind the block wall, which is almost covered and visible just left of center, lurks all the new donations waiting for first sort, that arrived in just 10 vehicles on each of the last two Saturdays. Basic Needs receives about 6,000 pieces a week to sort.
The left two stacks are mostly once sorted clothing waiting for volunteers to put into back stock or on the display racks. The right is all housewares and toys, which need the first sort.