There’s the perception that shopping carts are being stolen from Vernon stores by street people, but that may not be full reality.
During a recent census of homeless camps, 26 shopping carts were observed.
“This does not account for the high number of carts reported missing by local stores,” said Annette Sharkey, with the Social Planning Council.
Another theory is that some customers at the stores are using the carts to push groceries home and then abandon them.
“One of the issues is seniors unable to carry groceries home. They push the carts home but don’t necessarily return the carts to the store,” said Sharkey.
In terms of the homeless, the Partners in Action group is looking at whether shopping carts could be purchased on a non-profit basis and handed out to those who need the carts to store their possessions.