on being ethical: the problem with giving

As I’m too lazy to put on a garage sale at the moment, I thought giving away goods to a charity would be easy. Just drop them off and away they go to raise money for worthy charities. Too often I just dump them in the bins of my closest, large op shop. But do I really want to give the Catholic church more money to protect paedophiles?

Other than the issue of being a non-theist no longer wanting to support charities that are a front for recruiting for their religion, not all “op shops” or clothing bins are run by bone fide charities. The ever popular Savers for example is a ”for profit” offshoot of a US based company of the same name. As for some of the bins with charity-ish sounding names, if you don’t recognise the name there’s a good chance it’s run by a commercial recycler. While recycling is a better option than dumping in landfill, I’m not keen on giving away money just to make another capitalist richer.

The List

I’ve started with secular op shops in inner city Melbourne, culled from the Australian Op Shop Listing. Please let me know what else should be on the list.

Carlton

Yooralla Carlton Bargain Shop - Carlton

134-136 Elgin St, Carlton VIC

Mon-Fri 10:00-4:00

Sat 10:00-12:00 

Fitzroy

The All So Fabulous Op Shop - Fitzroy

328 Smith St, Fitzroy VIC

Mon-Fri 10:00-5:30

Sat 10:00-5:30 

Northcote

Mental Illness Fellowship of Victoria - Northcote

454 High Street, Northcote VIC

Mon-Fri 10:00-4:00

Sat 10:00-1:00 

Fairfield

MS Community Shop - FAIRFIELD

SHOP 88c STATION STREET, FAIRFIELD

Brunswick

Green Collective - Brunswick

318 Victoria St, Brunswick VIC

Mon-Fri: 9:30am-5pm

Sat 10am-4pm 

(is this still open?)

Co-op Shop - Brunswick

313 Victoria St, Brunswick VIC

Mon-Fri 10:00-5:00

Sat 10:00-5:00 

(is this still open?)

Moonee Ponds

Arthritis Victoria

10 Everage St, Moonee Ponds

Mon to Fri 10.00am to 4.00pm

Sat 9.30am to 1.00pm 

Flemington

Rotary Shop Flemington

444 Racecourse Rd, Flemington VIC

Tue - Fri 10am - 5pm

Sat 10am - 3pm

South Melbourne

South Melbourne Community Chest Opportunity Shop - South Melbourne

202 Bank St, South Melbourne VIC

Mon - Fri 10-5

Sat 10-2

Cremorne

Richmond Red Cross

120 Swan Street, Richmond, 3121

Windsor

mecwacare Windsor Op Shop

52 Chapel St, Windsor VIC

Mon to Sat: 10am - 5pm

Sun: 11am - 4pm 

Hawthorn

Save the Children Op Shop - Hawthorn

Burwood Rd, Hawthorn VIC

Not inner city

Out of my zone (I'm averse to burning fossil fuel for the sake of delivering my goodies to charities) but worth a mention RSPCA, Red Cross, Epilepsy Victoria and the Animal Protection Society.

What’s in a name?

Some op shops appear to not have religious affiliations until you dig beneath the surface. The most obvious is the Brotherhood of Saint Laurence’s up market Hunter Gatherer stores. But other innocuous fronts are harder to discern. Storehouse, for example, appears to be secular until you click their affiliations with “like minded organizations” such as Soar Adventures, an initiative of the Scripture Union. Likewise,” Community First” turns out to be the work of the Russian Catholic Church. Interestingly there is absolutely no reference to this in the store and just a vague poster in the window to supporting sick children.

Any more op shops in inner Melbourne you'd like me to add to the list?




More posts on giving, ethics and charities


The christmas present conundrum.
The solstice giving experiment.
Who'd have thought volunteering would be so difficult?

palliative care

"Medical or comfort care that reduces the severity of a disease or slows its progress rather than providing a cure".

grief: part five

Sad.

Hurt.

Isolated.

Gloomy.

Angry.

Upset.

Friendless.

Bewildered.

Depressed.

Rocky.

grief: part four

A holiday is good for the soul.

LOTR country, Lake Wakatipu, New Zealand.

grief: part three

Kind thoughts, words or actions totally undo me.

Coming home to a florist box of exquisite flowers unexpectedly in the sixth week, from someone interstate, pushes the waterworks button. The kindness of not even an old or close friend, just an incredibly thoughtful one.

And much appreciated. I hadn’t cried in almost a week. And in great need of relieving the fluid building up behind eyes. And heart.

Last time I grieved a death, I noted six weeks was the turning point. The tokens of condolence tend to come to an end but it’s only now the rot begins to set in. The hard slog of coming to grips with a heavy and permanent loss. The inescapable realisation that the fabric of life has been torn.

It’s now that the kind words, thoughts and actions become rarer, ironically when you need them the most. The secret club of those who understand grief, who are no longer afraid of it or wracked with their own pain, come forth.

It’s one of those groups you don’t wish to belong to. Many shun their right of admission.

Don’t be a stranger.

grief: part two

For almost a month I’ve been in a state of perpetual jetlag.

Or heart-lag.

I’ve never felt so exhausted in my life.

But slowly my sleep is finding a new normal and the fog is beginning to lift.

I remember a couple of months after my brother died having the longest sleep of my adult life – over 10 hours of uninterrupted slumber. It only happened once but I savour the memory in the same way I recall a delicious meal decades on from when it was consumed.

Just one sleep like that again and I can do anything.

grief:part one

In reply to a friend's email today I wrote:

Grief isn't a linear journey, it takes twists and turns a little like a game of Snakes and Ladders. On good days I feel quite normal skipping through the day, on others I feel like I'm sliding down the snake to somewhere I whizzed past weeks ago. Then there's the long climb back trying to regain the ground I'd lost.

(Image shamelessly appropriated from this blog)

Not sure if today will be a ride on a Snake or a Ladder.

Or both.

mindfulness: 1

Thought for the day.

Other people can't hurt me but my expectations of them can.

Most people are consistent in their actions. If you feel someone "always" lets you down, it's not their fault - they're being consistent. It is our expectation that they will act differently this time that wounds us.

blogging not eulogising

Where I'm at.

why I get a little nervous every time I visit Wellington

image nicked from Geonet