Regarding rumors that the used clothing collection point in Pasewalk has closed, Hannelore Schiebe, general manager of the Arbeitslosenverband Uecker-Randow, explicitly denied it. The collection point remains open five days a week and is suspended only when staff are on vacation or sick. Daily operations are handled by volunteers, including Ein-Euro-Jobs workers and federal volunteers.

However, the association has indeed issued a suspension on used clothing intake at the Pasewalk location. The reason is not closure, but that the warehouse and storage for all kinds of clothing and small items are overflowing, and earlier attempts to divert items to other activity points also failed to gain acceptance. Similar intake suspensions have also occurred in Löcknitz and Torgelow. Other locations such as Strasburg, Ueckermünde and Ferdinandshof first screen clothing; the Eggesin location, after moving from Karpiner Damm to Lützower Straße, will no longer have a used clothing collection point.

According to Schiebe, the background to the intake suspension is a sharp reduction in the number of used clothing donation containers in the region, so more clothing is being brought directly to the association's activity points. She also reminded people that used clothing still wearable can also be taken to Wertstoffhöfe, while soiled or damaged clothing should go into residual waste; she also said bluntly, "We cannot handle the entire volume of clothing collected."

What the collection points urgently need now are bedding and towels, while winter jackets, sweaters and similar items are in ample supply, and older men's suits and other items are no longer accepted. Staff said customers mostly prefer modern, wearable clothing. The collection points are currently switching their assortment to winter clothing, and the warehouse must first be cleared; before clothing is put on the shelves, it is sorted, washed and, if necessary, ironed. The association does not have its own used clothing containers, so clothing can only be handed in on site.

According to Schiebe, the used clothing collection points and the Möbelbörse are not only for people in need; anyone can buy furniture or clothing at low prices—unlike the Tafel. She also mentioned the association's cost pressures: rising fuel and energy prices and the increase in the minimum wage all have an impact, and as a social organization it cannot maintain all services at every location; once a location has to close like Penkun because of high costs and lack of income, that is hard to accept for both employees and customers.

Source: Das ist dran am Gerücht um eine Kleiderkammer in der Region · Originally published on 2026-09-28