Monday, March 12, 2001
A man in the buff was all in a huff when he was found inside a Goodwill collection bin.
By LAURIE M. FISHER
VINDICATOR CORRESPONDENT
A hand grenade.
A naked man.
A damaged fishing boat.
A 1913 Bible.
Count these among the unusual items found in donation piles at local charities.
Annually, Goodwill Industries collects more than 3 million pounds of goods, most of it clothing. Over the years Operations Director Al Slabe and Production Coordinator Dick Diamond have had their share of chuckles and tense moments sorting through people's castoffs.
A naked man was "the most unusual thing we ever found in a donation can. Thankfully, we don't have any more of those bins," Slabe noted. "Our transportation supervisor opened the door of the bin and found a naked man. The real problem ensued when the supervisor challenged the guy and the guy got a little smart with him."
Eventually, the man dressed. The police were called, and calm was restored in the distribution center, he recalled. Diamond wasn't sure how the man managed to crawl into the bin. "It wasn't easy to do. I imagine once he got in, he couldn't get out."
Feared the worst: Sometimes, the two have found that their fears are worse than reality. "One time we got a frantic call from a truck driver that they heard the sounds of a baby in the bin. We immediately called the police department and headed to the remote collection site," said Slabe. "We were frantic when we heard a small cry. It turned out to be one of those battery-operated dolls."
As a result of these and other incidents, all the donation centers now are well lighted and staffed by Goodwill personnel. Each week, about seven or eight tractor-trailers bring the goods to the Liberty distribution center, where donations are sorted and sent out to one of six stores in Struthers, Hermitage, New Castle, Salem, Warren and Liberty.
March is one of the slowest donation times, Slabe said. Easter seems to be the signal for spring cleaning, and donations increase.
Grenade, guns: On the wall of Slabe's office is a bright pink poster with pictures of hand grenades. Slabe said recently that workers found a practice hand grenade at one of the collection sites. Employees also have found ammunition and guns.
A grisly donation was found several years ago.
"Apparently someone took a taxidermy class. It must have been their first attempt at taxidermy. We think it was a dog; we are not sure. If it was, it had to be Frankenstein's dog. We gave him a decent burial," Slabe said.
It's too bad they discovered the dog before they received a coffin sample. Diamond said he removed the padding from the end of the coffin and put it in the store. "It sold within 30 days," he recalled.
Won't float: Occasionally, big-ticket items are donated. "We got a real nice boat, except it had a big hole in it," Slabe said. The story was that a wife found out that her husband was fooling around. She put the hole in the boat and gave it to Goodwill.
Several unusual automobiles found their way to the Goodwill lot. A 1960 Impala sold quickly, Slabe said. "A gentleman in West Virginia wanted to donate a 1974 AMC Matador customized station wagon, which included new tires, upholstery and stereo."
They also took possession of a 1970 Volkswagen square-back sedan that had only 26,000 miles. "Dick and I dug it out of a snowbank. It was in such good condition that it even smelled new," he said.
Periodically, Goodwill receives inventory from stores that are going out of business. Merchandise has included country and western wear, band uniforms and tuxedos, shoes and skids of 45 records. Last year, Goodwill sold several trailer loads of new bathroom and kitchen fixtures for 25 percent of the retail price.
One widow regularly donated designer clothing. "We had a $1,200 pair of shoes," Slabe recalled. The value was verifiable because the donor kept receipts.
Auction items: Regular shoppers reap the best benefits from these windfalls. Although many of the collectible and most valuable items are sold during the annual auction fund-raiser, others are distributed in the area stores.
"A lot of this stuff is sold as soon as you are setting it up on the floor," Diamond said.
"The more you shop, the more you are going to find," Slabe agreed. "We are living proof that one man's trash is another man's treasure."
Sometimes, treasures are found in cold cash. At Penny Pinchers on Market Street, workers found $200 sewed into the hem of a torn house dress and $600 in a handmade pocket in the arm of a coat, according to manager Betsy Kraynak. The money was returned to the owners.
Old Bible: What about that Bible from 1913?
Penny Pincher employees who recently came across it found that it contained postcards from 1918. One correspondence included a notice to serve in the U.S. Army during World War I.
Book dealers evaluate potentially valuable books, Kraynak noted.