Image: National Diabetes Trust / The Cultus Lake Park Board has declined a request from the National Diabetes Trust to install a clothing donation bin in the parking lot of a Cultus Lake business.

By Mike Vanden Bosch

Cultus Lake Park Board

Cultus Lake Park Board declines request for clothing donation bin in business parking lot

Jul 24, 2024 | 8:57 AM

CULTUS LAKE — The Cultus Lake Park Board has declined a request from the National Diabetes Trust to install a clothing donation bin in the parking lot of a Cultus Lake business.

According to a summary of the Cultus Lake Park Board meeting held Wednesday, July 24, park board commissioners passed a motion saying they did not support hosting a clothing donation bin, following a request from a territory manager on behalf of the national charity.

Beata Tymoszejko, territory manager for the National Diabetes Trust, contacted the park board on June 26 to ask if Cultus Lake Beach Club, actually known as Lakeside Beach Club at 4131 Columbia Valley Highway, could support the National Diabetes Trust by hosting a donation bin.

“As I mentioned, I reached out to the Cultus Lake Beach Club and asked them if they would support our charity by allowing us to place one of our clothing donation bins in their parking lot,” Tymoszejko’s email to CLPB said. “Chris, one of the owners, said I’d have to speak with the Parks Board for approval. We would like to place one of the bins in this area because it is highly frequented, and it will help us receive more donations of clothing.”

Tymoszejko said the National Diabetes Trust uses clothing donations to generate funding for diabetes research and programs that send kids to diabetes camps. Operating in over 2,000 communities across Canada, National Diabetes Trust says $6 million annually is invested in diabetes research through these donation bins, and over 100 million pounds of clothing and household items are diverted from landfills. The bins are 6.6 feet tall, 3.7 feet wide and 3.25 feet deep.

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“It is highly secure and operates much like a night deposit box,” the email stated,” Tymoszejko’s email said. “We also service the bin at all times so there is zero responsibility on your end. If for any reason you are not happy with it then we can remove it. Please note that we also have our own insurance. I’m hopeful you can help us out with this. Thank you kindly and I look forward to hearing from you.”

However, park board commissioners did not see it that way, citing potential hazards and public safety concerns related to use and storage of the bin.

Perhaps some of those concerns stem from the appearance of some donation bins around Chilliwack and elsewhere. For example, it’s not uncommon to see unsightly bags of donated clothes next to clothing donation bins across Chilliwack, as the bins sometimes become dumping grounds for people who don’t want to donate during normal business hours to places like Mission Thrift Store on Luckakuck Way, or Chilliwack Hospice Society Thrifty Boutique near the Evans Road roundabout. Or, bins aren’t emptied often enough when companies don’t check on the bins adequately.

A Google search of “National Diabetes Trust donation bins” shows multiple, unsightly garbage bags adjacent to donation bins, accompanied by news stories about the problematic accumulation at donation bins.