A charity has urged struggling individuals in 'desperate' situations to seek help after a video emerged showing two people rifling through bags of used clothes at a charity collection point. The footage was captured on Sunday afternoon (April 24) and appeared to show two people sorting through bags of worn clothes that had been dropped off at Salvation Army bins in Gorton.
The three drop off bins are part of 8,000 collection points across the UK. The charity vowed that high-quality products donated are resold at charity shops, with other items unable to be sold shipped overseas to less affluent countries.
After the clip emerged on social media, the charity said it was 'saddened' and urged people struggling to make ends meet to seek help. The person who recorded the footage said he saw the pair sorting through clothes before stashing various items in bags of their own.
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The footage also shows bags of worn clothes strewn across the floor, as one of the person leans deep into one of the drop of bins. The charity also urged people to only donate to collection points which have space and to avoid leaving full bags of clothes on the floor.
A spokesperson for The Salvation Army Trading Company said: “We are very saddened that this video appears to show clothes that were kindly donated to our clothing bank being stolen. We urge anyone who finds themselves in such a desperate situation to seek help from their local Salvation Army.
“Protecting our clothing banks is a priority and we believe this is an isolated case. Money raised from donations to our clothing banks will go towards helping vulnerable people, providing essentials like hot meals for rough sleepers and food parcels for struggling families.
“This clothing bank in Gorton, like all our sites across the country, is regularly emptied and we encourage members of the public to please only donate to clothing banks which have room and not leave items outside.”
