Charity's heartbreak after fire deliberately lit in donation bin

Hornby Community Care Centre manager Linda Turner (right) with Phylis Searles. Photo / Christchurch Star

By Emily O'Connell of star.kiwi

Household goods, books and clothing destined for the needy have gone up in smoke.

And that frustrates Christchurch's Hornby Community Care Centre manager Linda Turner.

"It's done a lot of damage to the bin but also to the donations and, of course, over the weekends, that's the busy time," Turner said.

The centre's donation bin was set alight in the early evening of Saturday, January 6.

The fire was allegedly lit by a boy aged between 10-13, who was with a group of other youngsters, she said.

The boy's name, which was provided to the centre, had been passed on to police.

Turner says the centre is "the heart of the community." It has an opportunity store where clothing and household goods left in bins like the one set alight are sold cheaply.

"Our function is to provide a building and services for the local community, and I mean there's always been a real need for good quality clothing at very reasonable rates," she said.

Turner said they once "decked out" an unemployed man in new clothes for a job interview. He then insisted on giving them the $4 he had on him for the items, but the volunteers refused.

Two weeks later the man went back into the shop and placed $10 on the counter. When asked what the money was for, he told them he got the job and was paying them back.