Donations continue to pile up outside Goodwill that moved

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — A lot of items -- and trash -- piled up outside the Shops at Freedom in northwest Charlotte.

Goodwill used to be on the corner of the strip mall there. It moved one month ago Monday. But people were still dropping off donations by the back door. It was a mess. Clothes, furniture, electronics, even garbage and pill bottles with a patient's name on them.

Stoogenke noticed signs telling people Goodwill moved and ones saying "No Dumping." But people still left the donations and trash under the "donations" awning.

Marcus McCombs volunteers at the ministry next door.

"It's making the church look bad, and actually, the neighborhood," he said.

Colette Forrest was so frustrated, she contacted WSOC.

"Very annoyed. It was nasty. Icky," she said. "So it was growing and more stuff was being added."

It was the strip mall's job to clean up. City crews were already working Monday on the holiday, but had to change plans to tackle the mess and they did.

"We didn't want to keep it as dirty as it was,” Charlotte Solid Waste Services spokesperson Denada Jackson said.

They'll now alert city code enforcement, which will determine whether this is a case of illegal dumping and, if so, cite the company that owns the Shops at Freedom.

Stoogenke reached out to the owner and was waiting to hear back late Monday.

Forrest is relieved, but worries about people continuing to leave items there. She wants Goodwill to post a sign on the side, telling donors where to go, and the city to keep an eye on what was an eyesore.

Stoogenke reached out to Goodwill. It emailed him a statement saying, "Goodwill Industries of the Southern Piedmont vacated the retail space on 2901 Freedom Drive on June 23, 2016. The move-out letter sent to Goodwill from the landlord on that date stated that the space was fully inspected and the condition of the leased premises were deemed acceptable for the space turnover. Any activity since June 23rd that takes place at 2901 Freedom Drive is the responsibility of the landlord. We take the responsibility to protect the resources entrusted to us by the community very seriously. We are working with the property manager to ensure that any confusing signage is removed."

If you want to donate, go to Goodwill's new location at 5301 Wilkinson Blvd.

Cox Media Group