Thieves are stealing vital contributions to the St Vincent de Paul poverty charity in Buncrana on an “almost nightly basis”, the organisation has said.
The charity, which helps the vulnerable and needy, has appealed for help to stop the theft of goods which should be used to bring relief to struggling families, particularly at Christmas.
An international Catholic organisation, St Vincent de Paul operates on a parish basis throughout Ireland, distributing practical help to people in need in their local area.
The organisation raises money through weekly church collections. It also operates a network of thrift shops, selling items at a low cost to raise funds for its various outreach programmes.
A spokesperson for the Buncrana St Vincent de Paul Thrift Shop called on the town’s community to help stop the continuing nightly thefts from its outlet. The spokesperson said bags of goods and donations left at the shop, outside normal opening hours, were being tampered with. People often leave donations outside the thrift shop so that they can remain anonymous in their charitable work.
“Unfortunately, most of these bags were stolen outside the shop on the previous night and the rags unfit for sale were left back outside the shop.
“This was not an isolated incident; it’s now almost a nightly occurrence. It’s not just bags but any donations, everything outside the shop is stolen. We are appealing for all donations to be made when the shop is open, Monday to Friday, 9.30am-5pm and Saturdays, 11am-4pm. Basically, if it’s given straight into the shop, it can’t be stolen and, therefore, the donations you kindly give will reach and be used for those they are intended for,” the spokesperson said.
