Ephrata Senior Center Thrift Store considers locking outdoor donation spot after losses

EPHRATA — Operators of the Ephrata Senior Center Thrift Store may have to close the outdoors area they have designated for donations, after multiple incidents of donated items being taken.

The manager, who declined to give her name, said the store is not open to the public now as a result of restrictions imposed during the COVID-19 outbreak. But the store staffers are around the building every Monday and every Wednesday through Friday. Donations are still being accepted for most items.

Many people are cleaning around their properties these days, the manager said, and they might not have a place to store things they want to donate.

While the store doors are shut to the public, donations left in the store’s designated spot outside are picked up regularly by the staff. The donation drop-off area is covered by a canopy and has a gate that’s left unlocked from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., seven days per week as a convenience for people who want to make donations but may not be able to get there when staff members are there. They are considering locking the gate when staff members are not present if necessary.

The manager said April 19 that two incidents of alleged theft had occurred within the past 10 days. Both incidents were recorded on security cameras.

In a December incident reported to the Ephrata Police Department, someone tried to steal the security camera.

The police received four theft complaints from the store’s managers since October 2019, some covering multiple incidents, according to police reports.