St Vincent de Paul Society volunteers are feeling frustrated after they are repeatedly finding large amounts of items dumped beside their donation bins at the rear of the Parkes Vinnies Shop.

Items such as large and small bags of clothing, as well as loose clothing, boxes, books and toys are in recent weeks being left scattered around the bins and area which is a shared car park between Vinnies and the Parkes Post Office in Welcome Street.

Left for volunteers to clean up.

This was the mess volunteers were greeted with on Australia Day and it took them hours to clean it up.

A large amount of items are repeatedly being dumped beside the Parkes Vinnies Shop donation bins, which takes volunteers hours to clean up.

St Vincent de Paul Society NSW Regional Retail Manager Tanya Godden said donations left in this way can be damaged by weather, become unsafe to handle, or need to be discarded, placing a heavy burden on volunteers, many of whom are older members of the community.

She said the Society is very grateful for the generosity of the Parkes community as the donations make a real difference and help support people doing it tough.

But leaving items outside the bins prevents the shop from raising vital funds that support Society NSW programs and services, which help locals access essentials such as food, clothing, accommodation and general support.

“Our volunteers give their time generously to support the community, and they should not have to deal with unsafe and excessive donations left outside,” Ms Godden said.

“What begins as an act of generosity can unfortunately end up costing the charity time, money, and volunteer wellbeing, while also reducing the funds available to support people doing it tough.”

To help keep everyone safe and ensure donations can be used as intended, the Society is asking that items be dropped off during shop hours so they can be properly received and sorted.

If donation bins are full or the shop cannot accept items, Ms Godden asks people to please hold onto your donations until a better time.

The Society NSW would also like to remind the community to only donate high-quality items and stick to the rule: 'if you’d give it to a mate, it’s good to donate'.

“Responsible donations allow us to sort, store and resell items efficiently, raising funds that go directly to support local people in need," Ms Godden said.

“We thank the Parkes community for their continued generosity and urge everyone to please declutter with care and only donate items that can truly help."