Demopolis–The Bargain Box is glad to get donations, but leave your trash at home. The Bargain Box has been a fixture for the community of Demopolis for the last 20 years. Throughout all the moves, four in all they remain a place for residents to bring appliances, clothes, and furniture that their families don’t need anymore.

Kitty Eddins, a member of the Demopolis Council of Church Women, which is the organization that started the Bargain Box back in July of 1983 with just a clothes closet in the Methodist Church. It has now grown into a business that takes other people’s trash and turns it into someone else’s treasure. Last year the Bargain Box gave away $28,000 in college scholarships and also gave away $19,000 in general needs.

“We welcome all donations to the Bargain Box, but please don’t give us trash. We can’t use broken appliances, tires, broken furniture, and tires,” Eddins said.

The Bargain Box is having a problem with people leaving junk and trash outside their door. This junk is stuff that could never be sold to anyone else.

“We do provide a service, but we don’t want to be the dumping ground,” Eddins said.

They decided to ask the Demopolis Police Department to help them with this problem. Eddins talked to Chief Avery and he agreed to patrol the area if they would post no dumping signs in front of the building. Since they’ve posted the signs the dumping has continued if not gotten worst.

Sometimes there is so much trash that we have the garbage truck come by. There is usually enough out there to fill the truck up. They have an Acer dumpster that costs them $87 a month to try to help this problem. They are also talking about putting in a security camera to help prosecute people that disobey the law.

“I don’t want it to sound like we’re complaining because we get lots of good things. But we don’t need anything we can’t sell,” Eddins said.

Another thing that the Bargain Box needs is some more volunteer help. Eddins said they could really use some new blood helping them.

“We need new help. Just come by and tell us that you want to help on a certain day,” Eddins said.