{"id":442436,"date":"2026-01-28T07:31:14","date_gmt":"2026-01-28T07:31:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/442436\/"},"modified":"2026-01-28T07:31:14","modified_gmt":"2026-01-28T07:31:14","slug":"aussie-op-shop-on-the-verge-of-closing-its-doors-after-heinous-donation-strikes-15000-blow","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/442436\/","title":{"rendered":"Aussie op shop on the verge of closing its doors after ‘heinous donation’ strikes $15,000 blow"},"content":{"rendered":"

A beloved community charity shop<\/a> is on the verge of closing its doors forever after staff were blindsided by a \u201cheinous donation\u201d infested with bed bugs. A Daylesford Community Op Shop<\/a> volunteer made the horrifying discovery earlier this month after opening a bag filled with what appeared to be some kind of fabric.<\/p>\n

Before she even had a chance to delve inside, a large swarm of bed bugs emerged and crawled up her arm. As many people would expect, the woman, who suffered bites across her body, is \u201ctraumatised\u201d, fellow volunteer Michelle Clifford told the ABC<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s horrendous, heinous [and] abhorrent,\u201d she said, adding she feared the donation was intentional.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf they didn\u2019t know, it would have just been eggs in there that wouldn\u2019t have hatched.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m trying to remain on the positive side and think they didn\u2019t know, or that they donated it out of desperation, that they didn\u2019t know how to get rid of it.\u201d<\/p>\n

The fallout has been huge, with the Victorian shop forced to close its doors minutes after the disturbing find.<\/p>\n

All of the stock inside has been removed, and much of it \u2014 including the infested donation and others suspected of infestation \u2014 was destroyed.<\/p>\n

In an online post on Tuesday, the business revealed it had forked out almost $5,500 for a commercial hazmat clean, with a second spray planned.<\/p>\n

By stripping the op shop<\/a> bare, volunteers estimate that a total of $8,000 to $10,000 worth of goods was lost.<\/p>\n

\"Left,<\/p>\n

Up to $10,000 worth of stock had to be ditched. Source: Daylesford Community Op Shop\/Facebook<\/p>\n

Do you have an op shop story? Contact newsroomau@yahoonews.com<\/a><\/p>\n

Op shop on the verge of closing after single ‘abhorrent’ donation<\/p>\n

The Daylesford business\u2019s future now hangs in the balance, with staff desperately scrambling to raise the $8,000 a month needed to keep the store afloat.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis single abhorrent donation has impacted DCOS significantly and may mean we have to cease trading if we can\u2019t get our cash reserves to a manageable figure again,\u201d workers wrote on a GoFundMe<\/a> that has so far raised more than $3,600.<\/p>\n

\u201cAs a not-for-profit organisation, without a large operational surplus, this is a major setback \u2014 not only for us, but the community as a whole.\u201d<\/p>\n

Locals have rallied around the shop, which held a community barbecue on Sunday.<\/p>\n

Although an incredible $11,386 has been raised in just over a week, there is still a long way to go.<\/p>\n

\u201cOur op shop will be closed until early February with no income,\u201d the GoFundMe states.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe are now asking for our community’s assistance to help us recover from this major setback.\u201d<\/p>\n

The business is now asking for letters of support for grant applications.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe have been dealt a major blow, and without outside help, we may seriously be on the verge of closing,\u201d staff said.<\/p>\n

\u201cEven though our income has stopped, our outgoings are still there \u2014 so rent, utilities, etc still need to be covered.\u201d<\/p>\n

The incident comes just weeks after a Queensland Vinnies worker, Corrie Johnston, discovered a tiny two-month-old Chihuahua puppy in a donation crate<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\"Corrie<\/p>\n

Long-time Vinnies volunteer Corrie Johnston found a puppy inside a donation crate in Kingaroy, Queensland. Source: St Vincent de Paul Society Queensland\/Corrie Johnston<\/p>\n

Do you have a story tip? Email: newsroomau@yahoonews.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n

You can also follow us on Facebook<\/a>, Instagram<\/a>, TikTok<\/a>, Twitter<\/a> and YouTube<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>