Mullingar’s Oxfam store has made a desperate plea to members of the public to donate goods they no longer need as stock in the shop has seriously diminished.
To help encourage members of the public, a new drop-in centre will be opened at the end of the month. Paddy O’Brien has donated a shopping unit beside his garage, O’Briens Garage and the Topaz and Centra filling station. The donation point will be open every day for two weeks from Monday February 27 to Monday March 12, from 11am-7pm.
Speaking to the Mullingar Advertiser this week, manager of the Oliver Plunkett Street store, Trudi Soysal, said that donations of women’s, men’s, and children’s clothing and shoes, as well as accessories has all but stopped.
“We are in an almost critical situation here, to sustain our level of stock,” said Trudi. “We are very lucky to say our customer numbers are growing and we are very pleased that shoppers continue to support the Oxfam Mullingar store,” she added.
The Oxfam store is crucial for the town as it provides low-cost clothes, household goods, books, DVDs, toys, etc, which are of a high quality to shoppers hit by the recession. Money made from these products is then used to fund Oxfam’s charity work across the world.
“Paddy O’Brien has very kindly offered us a retail unit beside his garage on the Lynn Road. The unit will be used as a drop-off zone. As our location in town can make it difficult for people to drop off donations, this new space provides more room for people to park and unload their car.
“We are delighted with this extra retail unit which will help make it easier for people to leave in stock,” added Trudi.
Trudi understands that people are holding on to clothes and other goods for longer, but she feels that everyone has something to clear out.
“It’s spring cleaning time, so what better time for supporters to Make Space for Oxfam. The goods donated are all priced reasonably, helping low-income families and giving back to the community. And the money raised from our shops goes to fund Oxfam’s work in Africa where a looming food crisis is due to hit in west Africa,” explained Trudi.
For more information call Oxfam Mullingar on (044 ) 9335474.
