A charity boss left at the end of his tether by vandals who keep wrecking donations left at a thrift shop is hoping Bermudians will dig deep into their pockets to help build a more secure shop unit.

Committee of 25 for Handicapped Children chairman Ray O?Leary says volunteer workers at Bargain Box have been left frustrated by intruders who have repeatedly scattered goods left outside by wellwishers, and even defecated on them.

He hopes that a planned $2.5 million rebuilding project at the shop on Midsea Lane, Pembroke, will help resolve this problem. It is also hoped that the associated fundraising campaign will give the charity, established in 1952 to provide equipment and facilities for handicapped children, a more secure future.

?We have got an ongoing problem with people coming in through the fence during the night. We have put barbed wire there, but they come along with wire clippers to get in,? said Mr. O?Leary.

?What often happens is donors leave items by the front door and at the back when the shop is closed, and anyone who comes along can then go through them, pick out what they want and leave the goods scattered around.?

The problem is compounded by the fact that the shop ? which made the charity $100,000 through sales last year ? often receives items that it cannot sell due to them being old or damaged.

These are placed in a dumpster at the back of the shop to be taken away, but this, too, is targeted ? most recently overnight from Tuesday to Wednesday.

?The ladies came into work to find that someone had gone through the trash truck and scattered it all on the pathway. We can?t really expect the ladies to do the clean-up.

?Some of the ladies have found faeces amongst the clothing, as people are using the area as a bathroom,? said Mr. O?Leary.

?It?s atrocious and we have no idea who is behind it as there is no security camera at the back.

?It is upsetting and frustrating for the volunteer workers who leave the place neat and ready to open, and then come in the next day to find clothes outside and scattered all over the place.?

Mr. O?Leary hopes that a bottom-up rebuild of the shop, which is more than 20 years old and has a leaky roof due to a design fault that cannot be fixed, will resolve the problem with vandalism.

?We hope to have planning approval within the next two to three weeks. We are planning to have a three storey building with a different reception area for goods coming in and cameras providing surveillance throughout the building.

?As soon as we have got our plans approved, we will start our fundraising campaign to raise the necessary $2.5 million. We are hoping that we can raise enough money to pay for the building and also set up endowment funds so we don?t have to rely on tag days and Bargain Box,? he explained.

Fundraising plans are set to be discussed at an AGM to be held on October 25, and anyone who can help should contact Mr. O?Leary or Lisa Dawson at the charity on 292-4324.

Meanwhile, Mr. O?Leary appealed for donors to help resolve the problem with vandals by only bringing donations in between 9 a.m. and 11 a.m. on Monday, Tuesday and Saturday. The shop is open for sales on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m.