Goodwill Industries Essex Kent Lambton has seen a 20 per cent drop in donations recently.
Executive Director Kevin Smith believes it's because of recent publicity surrounding the closure of 16 stores and ten donation centres in Eastern, Central and Northern Ontario.
"Typically this time of year they drop off anyway, however we're seeing a bit of a dip in our donations and what we want to do is keep the individuals who are employed right now working," says Smith. "We've kept our donation centres site open for the whole month of February when we traditionally close."
Smith says it's business as normal at their local stores and drop off centres. The Essex Kent Lambton Goodwill employs 250 people.