JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Police briefly evacuated the Goodwill thrift store on Jacksonville's Southside late Tuesday morning after someone donated four hand grenades, authorities said.
Sheriff's Office spokesperson Melissa Bujeda said the grenades were found in among recent donations to the store on Southside Boulevard near Baymeadows Road.
Police gave the all clear shortly before 1 p.m., saying the bomb squad determined the devices were inert and no longer posed a threat to the public.
VIDEO: All clear given after grenades donated to Jacksonville Goodwill
Sgt. James Cannon said police do not currently know when the box containing the grenades was donated, or who dropped it off.
Two neighboring businesses were cleared as part of the evacuation order, Cannon said. He said Jacksonville Country Day School, which is located behind the thrift store, released students early.
Donations are accepted during business hours and they are eventually sorted by employees before they're sold in stores, but that process can take hours or even days, said Desi Pappas, a spokesperson for Goodwill North Florida.
"We're constantly going through our donations and as many people bring things in that are multiple items in a bag or box, we go through them as we can and they get sorted very diligently," Pappas told News4Jax.
Even though Goodwill stores across the country have received some interest donations -- a live grenade, a bag of teeth and $5,000 cash -- the strangest thing Pappas said she's ever seen come in is high-end clothing.
Goodwill encourages donations of gently used clothing and household items. While generosity is always appreciated, below is a list of items the stores cannot accept:
- CRT and DLP TVs, or rear-projection flat screen HDTVs
- CRT Computer Monitors
- Cribs
- Household chemical products
- Automotive hazardous waste
- Large appliances
- Shampoo, conditioner, shaving cream, curling irons and other personal care items
- Fragrances and perfumes
- Mattresses and box springs, including waterbed mattresses and frames
- Carpet or carpet padding
- Weapons such as guns, bows and arrows, ammunition, hunting knives, etc.