A series of break-ins has left employees at St Mary’s Community Store heartbroken.
According to store co-ordinator Kristine Green, the store’s outdoor storage bins were broken into and ransacked three nights in a row earlier this month.
Ms Green said clothes in the bin were left scattered on the ground and on top of the bins.
“Our padlocks had been cut off, they’re coming around with bolt cutters,” she said.
“The screws are taken out, they’ve got the bolts off and they’ve also bent the lids back – so
they come prepared.
“This is just destructive. It’s our safety that we are worrying about and it’s happening too often.”
Ms Green said she had to “constantly” change the locks and clean up the mess that was left behind.
“If you buy them [the locks] in bundles they could be … $50 and it’s just an inconvenience,”
she said.
“We will be getting something to actually make the bins stronger but we don’t know what to do. They have cut through the padlocks, through the thick steel. So what do we do, make it out of concrete?
“It’s really annoying. We work our butts off for charity.”
Ms Green said it appeared that no clothes had been stolen, but piles of clothes were left on
the ground each time.
“None of the stuff has been taken, it’s all there,” she said. “We don’t put anything but handbags, shoes, slippers and clothes [in the bins]. If they want clothes … I’d give it to them.
“Something needs to be done.”
