Anger over wet, abandoned thrift store donations is a reminder to protect community’s generosity

Residents of Beaufort were outraged this week when photos circulated on Facebook of a local thrift store’s inventory, which was unceremoniously dumped on the side of the road after the store’s eviction.

“Shame on them” was the overwhelming response. All the thrift store’s donations were left outside to sop up the rain when they could have gone to good use elsewhere.

The thrift store, Vintage 154, is linked to a now-defunct charity, Marines and Mickey, that is currently under federal investigation for fraud. The founder of the charity, John Simpson, has been accused of misusing money and misrepresenting his own service in the Marines. He has denied the former and refused comment on the latter, according to an April news report on WSAV.

An investigation into both accusations is ongoing, and no charges have been filed against Simpson.

The eviction served by Beaufort Police on Monday gave him 48 hours to claim the inventory that was left outdoors.

That this abandoned pile-up of furniture and clothes bothered residents to the extent it did is indicative of a kindness and generosity we sometimes forget exists.

The community saw these photos and immediately thought about those in need, the ones who ultimately lost out here.

This same community is one that will gladly buy a spaghetti dinner to help raise money for someone else’s medical bills. That will happily write a check to find a cure. That will walk, run and crawl for the cause. That will donate their clothes, furniture, cars, books, kitchenware, dinnerware, whatever-you-need-ware so they can be sold to benefit abused children, wounded veterans, abandoned animals, the sick, the injured, this or that, and that or this.

Which is why if hell has a hell, a place the devil has reserved for the souls that disgust even him, it will be for those who exploit this type of kindness and generosity for their own profit.

From what I’ve been told, stealing from the kind and generous is actually an easy thing to do. If an unscrupulous sort wants to make a bunch of money, what better way to do it than to prey on those who care about a cause so much they’ll open their wallets to support it, no questions asked? Just hold out a cup. Just start a charity. Just ask for it.

There has not been a time in history when this has not been the case.

And that’s mostly the fault of the good people.

Giving to others feels great.

Donating to a cause that reflects our values, our family histories, our life experiences can give us a sense of meaning, of belonging and affecting change.

These days, there seems to be more charities, more fundraisers, more pages asking for donations, more causes to support. The Internet has made donating easier than ever, and there’s just so much need. We’ve gone through terrorist attacks, wars, mass shootings, catastrophic weather events, and the cost of medical care has skyrocketed.

This also means there are more opportunities to be taken advantage of, more opportunities for scoundrels to make off with a bounty from the well-intentioned.

The photos of those wet donations on the side of the road were upsetting.

Now is a good time to take that outrage and remember that we have a responsibility to each other to help preserve and protect the kindness and generosity of our communities so that the spirit of magnanimity can grow and carry on.

I spoke Wednesday with Shannon Wiley, general counsel for the S.C. Secretary of State’s Office. She said thousands of charities and fundraisers are registered to raise money in South Carolina each year. Most of these charities and fundraisers are required to tell the state how much money they raised in a year, how much they spent and what percentage was spent on the actual cause they raised the money for.

And she said the public is their eyes and ears. We are the ones who will help make sure that the money we give goes to the right place.

The Secretary of State’s Office needs us to call them if we have suspicions about a fundraiser, a charity or any claim that someone is soliciting money on behalf of a charitable cause. They need us to call them if we have questions about where the money is going. They will let us know if something isn’t on the up and up.

Their number is 1-888-242-7484.

Keep it handy and share it with the most generous people you know.

This story was originally published September 14, 2016 at 6:31 PM with the headline "Anger over wet, abandoned thrift store donations is a reminder to protect community’s generosity."