Much loved Vinnies op shop in Bega Valley closes its doors without notice

The director of fundraising, marketing and communications for the St Vincent de Paul Society Canberra/Goulburn, Phillip Jones said it was "a regrettable situation", but assured financial, food and material assistance were still available for those in need.

"Unfortunately we've had some unforeseen issues around staffing, one of the key staff members has had a serious accident, we wish her a speedy recovery, and there's been challenges around that," Mr Jones said.

"We had to make the sudden decision to shut the store for the moment, we really hope it's not a permanent closure, we will reopen it as soon as we organise our replacement staff and some more volunteers.

"The decision was made, rather than offer the community less than ideal circumstances, we prefer just to shut it for now, get things organised, and reopen as soon as we possibly can."

Vinnies operates in two parts with those in trading, sorting, and donations, alongside volunteers assisting the community with material support providing access to clothing, food and petrol vouchers.

While Mr Jones stated the trading operations had temporarily closed and not likely to reopen until the new year, he said volunteers would still work out of the store on Wednesdays and Fridays to offer immediate support through welfare and vouchers.

Those seeking assistance could call 13 18 12.

"Thirty per cent of people coming to us have never gone to a charity before and these are often people with jobs, and they're making really really hard choices," he said.

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"'Can I feed the kids? Can I put fuel in the car to get to work or pay the rent or pay the electricity? I can't do all the above,' and so, we can provide vouchers [to assist].

"The stores are the key role, the vast majority of what we need comes from the revenue from our shops, so we really regret the fact we've had to close Bega for the moment, but also [it] has an impact [because] we're not raising revenue from those donations to support the community.

"So it's a double whammy for us."

For those wanting to donate, Vinnies recommended they be made to Vinnies Narooma, 77km north or Vinnies Merimbula, 33km south, from the store in Bega.

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