It’s becoming an annual problem for Keremeos Ecumenical Church’s Bargain Centre as the non-profit organization attempts to deal with large amounts of unuseable items left at the store after hours.
“We’ve had animal parts, used diapers, you name it,” said Lorne Tremblay, Chair of the board at the Anglican Church in Keremeos.
The thrift shop accepts donations of unwanted, useable items like clothing and household furnishings, which are sold at very reasonable prices. The funds raised go towards charitable work within the valley, and the service fulfills several different needs in the area, especially for low income families.
Tremblay said that last year, the Bargain Centre purchased six extra containers last year to haul away the garbage that had been dropped off.
“We generally use one dumpster every two weeks or so,” he said. “But there were several occasions last summer when we were filling one per week. It’s mostly stuff that people don’t want to dump themselves - it’s a fact of life I guess.”
Tremblay is hopeful that plans by the village to provide the centre with $300 to help defray the extra costs will come to pass.
“There isn’t a lot of profit in this,” Tremblay noted, “we couldn’t do it without the help of this great group of ladies who work so hard here - and the town needs an operation like this.”
Keremeos Village Council passed a resolution at a recent meeting to provide the centre with $100 towards increased garbage collection costs, with a stipulation that rural areas “G” and “B” also provide $100 in funding.