Rehab Program In Jeopardy Due To Lack Of Clothing Donations

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) – Staff members at the Twin Cities Salvation Army are getting the word out that clothing donations are critically low. As a result, their Adult Rehabilitation Center in Minneapolis is in jeopardy.

"When we don't have items to sell in our stores, we can't fund our program," Tom Canfield, manager of Salvation Army stores and a graduate of the program, said. "That means it could come down to turning people away who need help."

The program is 100 percent funded through thrift store sales.

When the program has money they can house up to 120 men. Currently, they're only able to house 50 and it all has to do with the lack of clothing donations.

Canfield says they typically process 3,000 pieces of clothing a day, and lately it's been 500 to 700 pieces.

"We're running out of the clothes half way through the day. We're running out of clothes half way through the week," Canfield said. "We may not even have production people in our stores Wednesday, Thursday, Friday; because we just don't simply have the product for them to process."

And if the trend continues that could mean layoffs, and shorter hours for their 250 employees.

"We know everybody in the Twin Cities area has at least one bag of clothes sitting in their closets that they can give up," Canfield said. "Call 1-800-SATRUCK or go online to satruck.org and schedule a free pick up."

For more information, visit the Salvation Army online.