To The Editor: This is an appeal to the public and business community of Warrenton to stop illegal dumping at AGAPE Thrift.There is a small list of items that are not accepted at the thrift store, and key amongst them are televisions. Not only are televisions not an accepted item, they actually cost AGAPE money to dispose of them. Every television that is dumped at our location costs the organization between $25 and $35. During the weekends of Feb. 11-12 and Feb. 18-19, 38 identical televisions were dumped during the overnight hours at AGAPE Thrift. The identical nature of the televisions leads us to believe that these were dumped by a local business. The cost of removal of these items to the organization could total well over $1,000. Having a local business dump these costly items on a nonprofit organization is both illegal and wrong. All the money that we have to spend disposing of items is money that cannot be put into the programs and services that AGAPE offers to the residents of Warren County.AGAPE works hard every day to fight hunger and prevent homelessness in this community. We are asking local business owners and the general public to refrain from dumping items at our thrift store that are clearly indicated as not accepted. We are incredibly grateful to EPC in Wright City, who assisted us when we did not know how to dispose of the televisions. We would also like to extend our appreciation to the Warrenton Police Department with their assistance on documenting these incidents. If you have questions about what is accepted at AGAPE Thrift, please come by during business hours or call and one of our staff members or volunteers will be happy to assist you. You can reach AGAPE Thrift at 1039 Armory Road or 636-377-2272. Business hours at 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Mondays, Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays; 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesdays; and 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturdays.Thank you for your continuing support. Sincerely,Michelle R. BernthExecutive DirectorAGAPE