Charity begins at home

Like many of you, no doubt, I’ve been sorting out stuff in lockdown. Though I know I could be lightening the load at home even more, I already have three bags of books ready for my favourite Oxfam Bookshop in Ealing plus a bag of stuff I no longer use in the kitchen, ready to be dropped off at the other Oxfam shop on the Broadway. That’s why I was so pleased to see the announcement last week that, like other non-essential retailers, charity shops were able to open for the first time in almost three months. As yet, however, those Ealing branches of Oxfam are yet to re-open and when they do, I expect they will be mugged by masses of donations so maybe better that I hang on to my charity stash for a while longer. By then I’m likely to be tempted to actually shop myself. Very strict hygiene measures mean that quarantine of at least 72 hours for donated books, clothes, housewares and the like, is due to be better organised and more rigid than it is for arrivals at UK airports.  The closure of Oxfam shops since March has overall deprived the charity of over one-fifth of its revenue. Reeling from the financial effects of Covid19, Oxfam International is in the process of pulling out of 18 countries where it has hitherto carried out vital aid and development work. Right now Oxfam needs all the help it can get. As the saying goes, ‘charity begins at home’ so I’ll keep on clearing  out those shelves and cupboards…………