Charity Shops Call for Responsible Approach to Donating under COVID-19

For Immediate Release 2 April 2020

Whilst more Australians impacted by COVID-19 are finding themselves in dire need, many charity op shops are being forced to close, creating a perfect storm. Funding is down but calls for assistance up.

‘Charity shops usually generate $550 million a year which is used to help people in need, including those most at risk of COVID-19 including the elderly, the sick and economically disadvantaged. But revenue has dried up with many charity shops forced to close to protect staff, volunteers and the community’, said Omer Soker, CEO of the National Association of Charitable Recycling Organisations.

‘But Australians can still help’, Soker urged.

  • If your favourite charity shop is closed, please don’t leave your donations outside as they will become litter, which creates a huge cost to charities to clean it up. Please find a charity shop that is still safely managing to stay open, or a donation bin in your neighbourhood.
  • If you can’t leave your home and must stay inside, please save up your quality donations for later.
  • If you can still donate, please put your donations inside a donation bin, sort your items for quality and don’t donate anything you wouldn’t otherwise give to a friend.

‘Australians need to stick together to get through this’, said Soker. ‘Please help charities to help those most in need during this crisis, by not leaving items outside closed shops and by donating responsibly where you can.’

And let’s make this a leap forward for the Circular Economy on the other side of this crisis – where we value precious resources, reuse items and move towards a resilient, sustainability economy. In the meantime, perhaps the one thing we all most need right now is kindness and collaboration.

For more information, please contact

Listen to NACRO CEO Omer Soker talk about why it’s important to donate responsibly during COVID-19.