Kind-hearted organisations collecting pre-loved items to help the needy are active in Singapore. (Bless them.)

However, it appears that certain donations by some Singaporeans leave much to be desired.

Paid S$80 to hire movers for mattress

A Facebook post has been put up by one Lee Siew Yian who shared that some people end up taking advantage of donations collection to "dispose" of unwanted items.

Lee volunteers with Keeping Hope Alive, a community initiative that gives back to the less privileged in Singapore.

She wrote that a pre-loved queen-sized mattress was advertised on Carousell for free, with self-collection at Ang Mo Kio.

This was the listing.

Lee shared how she had been "so excited" to send the mattresses to the needy, and apparently forked S$80 out of her own pocket to hire two movers to pick up the mattress and ferry it to Geylang Bahru.

The seller even stated that she had more to give, which Lee said she was "grateful" for.

Mattress came with tears and stains

However, when Lee arrived on Jan. 10 to receive the mattress and remove the bedsheets, she was shocked to discover that the actual item was vastly different from the pristine image on the listing.

Photos she uploaded showed large tears along entire sides of the mattress, as well as dark stains and holes.

Lee revealed her disappointment, saying that the mattress should not have been donated in the first place:

"They should not be donated; they should be thrown away. These mattresses made their way from a condominium in AMK only to be discarded at the rubbish chute of Block 62 Geylang Bahru. I paid $80 for two men to drive and sweat it out, only to dispose them."

Although the free mattress was discarded, Lee stated she had made other arrangements for the needy elderly to receive another mattress.

Such cases apparently not uncommon

Apparently, encountering such cases are not uncommon for volunteers.

"Disintegrated chairs, broken cupboards, mattresses with bed bugs, and many more unacceptable items" were frequent sights.

Despite numerous offers of free furniture and items, such as the mattress, donors are often not willing to pay for transportation, Lee said.

Volunteers' resources "are very limited", she said, and they typically have to fork out their own money to bear such costs.

This is on top of Good Samaritans sacrificing their time on weekends to work for a good cause.

She highlighted how donations of spoilt items were a "waste of valuable resources" too.

Although Lee acknowledged that she should check donations more carefully in the future, she also urged donors to only donate items in good working condition.

If donors are able to help cover transportation costs, volunteers "will be really grateful" as well.

She ended off her post by encouraging people to be considerate and kind towards everyone, including the volunteers themselves.

"True kindness means being kind to everyone, including the volunteers who sweat for you to dispose your unwanted items.

When we move house, we pay movers and a transport company to transport our beloved items. Is it ok to extend this service to the needy or volunteers? Please give us the dignity and please love us the same."

You can read her full post here.