WINTER PARK, Fla. — There isn’t much room to maneuver inside the Boys & Girls Clubs thrift store in the unincorporated part of Winter Park.
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Boxes, bags, bits and bobs are piled wall to wall, as high as the fire code allows. A worker unwrapped objects one at a time, pricing out items worth reselling while dumping dirty or damaged objects into a trash can.
Occasionally, a bell rings – signaling another donation has arrived.
“We’ve had an increase, I would say, from your normal 15 donations at the most per day up to 46 per day,” Store Manager Shirley Bridegam said.
Drowning in donations? An Orange County thrift store has piles as high as the fire code will allow thanks to people trying to get those tax credit receipts. How long it will take to work through the influx -- at 11! @WFTV pic.twitter.com/xTo3wo0hVy
— Nick Papantonis WFTV (@NPapantonisWFTV) December 31, 2021
Bridegam’s interview was the most standing still she has done since November. The pony tail-wearing whirlwind whisked back and forth from the check out to the aisles. She guided one family as they carefully placed a like-new dresser in the center of the store. Two minutes later, she had to be tracked down near a Spiderman costume.
What’s causing the sudden rise? While Bridegam attributed much of it to the “out with the old, in with the new” mentality around the holidays, many of the donors are also seeking to cut the amount of money they will owe to Uncle Sam.
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“I would say maybe 65% of our donors do request a receipt for their taxes,” she said.
Under the current tax code, people who itemize their taxes can deduct the value of some charitable donations, including items dropped off at nonprofit thrift stores like the one the Club operates.
It also helps the organization. Through the course of the year, its thrift store generates enough money to pay for one of its 36 centers scattered throughout Central Florida.
“This store provides about $200,000 per year toward our operations, so it’s a very significant line item in our annual budget,” Boys & Girls Club spokeswoman Betsy Owens explained.
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For people looking to take advantage of the last-minute receipt or the items now for sale, the Boys & Girls Clubs Thrift Store is open seven days per week at 2054 SR 436, next to Action
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