There are several Operation Green clothing and shoe donation boxes in the Quad Cities. Labels on the box say they help both the needy and the environment, but neighbors in one Rock Island neighborhood are calling the box an eyesore.
The box located near 11th Street and 39th Avenue in Rock Island is overflowing and clothes, shoes and even garbage are surrounding the box.
"For those people that need it, I wish to God that it would go to them instead of sitting there on the block,” said Keith Ford.
"It makes me honestly sad to see all this stuff like this,” said Justin Hickman.
"It's been at least four to five weeks. It was raining on them not too long ago, then it snowed on them,” said Ford.
These Rock Islanders say it makes the city look bad.
"If we can't get things such as clothes being donated to the needy and the homeless to get picked up and dispersed to the right location it's not looking good,” said Hickman.
And why hasn’t it been picked up? There is no answer or even ring when you call the number listed on the box: (888)-452-4623.
"Most of those other drop boxes, they sell the goods out of our own town, so they’re just sending that money out of town that we use to save lives,” said Alex Velasquez, Administrator and Pastor at the Salvation Army Adult Rehabilitation Center.
Velasquez says donations to the Salvation Army pay their bills.
"They're the backbone,” he said.
He said donations are down this year and he believes it is because of boxes like Operation Green.
"We really need the help because, these other boxes, they're really hurting us,” he said.
"Oh, it hurts; it hurts because there's a lot of people in our community that don't have clothes that don't have nice things. You know, the things that me and you might have,” said Velasquez.
There are several more Operation Green boxes around the Quad Cities that were not overflowing and were well maintained.
