Items are disappearing from the Summerland Health-Care Auxiliary Thrift Store鈥檚 donation bins before staff and volunteers have a chance to process them.

Kurt Evans, first vice-president of the thrift store, said the theft of donations is a growing problem for the charity store.

While items have been taken from donation bins in the past, the incidents have increased dramatically over the past year, he said. 

鈥淓very night my security cameras ring,鈥� he said.

In addition to the donation thefts, Evans said there have been at least three attempts to pry open the metal doors to the store.

Most of the thefts occur between 1:30 and 3:30 a.m., but at times there have been altercations between staff and people attempting to take donated items. 

Evans believes a growing transient population is responsible for the donation thefts. However, in at least one case, store security video showed a late-model pickup stopping at the store, with a team of people loading the truck with items from the donation bins.

In addition to the donation thefts, Evans said the thrift store is dealing with another related problem as garbage is being dumped at the store after hours.

The thrift store must then clean up the garbage, adding to volunteer time. There is also a cost involved in having the garbage hauled away.

鈥淚t just adds more expense,鈥� he said.

He added that he is more upset with the people dumping garbage than with those stealing donations. 

The people who dump their garbage tend to be residents of the community who know the purpose and mission of the thrift store in providing funds for health-related needs.

Each year, the thrift store donates hundreds of thousands of dollars to health-related initiatives benefitting the community and the region. 

In 2023, the thrift store, on Victoria Road North, donated $402,024. Much of this money went to the Penticton Regional Hospital for its oncology expansion. 

The auxiliary has pledged $1 million over five years for the new clinic. By October, only two years into this five-year commitment, the auxiliary had raised $550,000.

The Summerland Health-Care Auxiliary was founded in 1909 and the thrift store opened its doors in 1958. There are around 120 volunteers who work at this store.

Cst. Patti Evans of the Summerland RCMP detachment said thefts from thrift store donation boxes are an ongoing problem in Summerland. Thefts are occurring early in the evening and overnight.

The covered area at the Summerland Health-Care Auxiliary Thrift Store is a hot spot for people looking to take items from donation bins. In addition, the alley behind the thrift stores on Victoria Road North is not well-travelled in the evening, which makes the bins more attractive to thieves.

Evans said thrift stores should have signs up, discouraging people from leaving donations at night and when people are not present to accept them. Securing donation bins can also serve as a deterrent, she said.