By Mandy Feder
It”s like taking candy from a baby, easy. As the holidays near, most folks are giving. Some people are taking, though.
The thrift stores, non-profits and community service organizations are struggling. Not just because times are tough, but also because these tend to be vulnerable businesses with very few resources.
Thursday, following an article about a thrift store burglary at St. Vincent de Paul in Lower Lake, I received a call from a woman at the Methodist Church thrift store in Lower Lake. The woman on the end of the line said the church thrift store had been burglarized, too. The good people who run the store supposed that those who stole from them “must have needed the money.”
The volunteers did not report the crime to the police and absorbed the loss.
“We were shocked. They didn”t break in, they used a key. We don”t think it”s anybody who works here now.”
It”s a humble store that carries mostly clothing. “We supply whatever we can to the people in our community,” she told me as she took a deep breath. She said a couple hundred dollars was stolen.
“I feel better just telling you about it,” she said. “We are sorry they needed the money so bad that they came in and took from us.”
She read the article in the Record-Bee in the morning about the other thrift store that was burglarized. But she wasn”t angry, “I feel bad for the person,” she said. “They must have a conscience, right?”
I wish that person or people who burglarized this thrift store could have heard the forgiveness and genuine care in the volunteer”s voice. I wish that person or people would return and apologize and somehow make it up.
Mostly, I wish that I were as optimistic about the goodness and good conscience of people as she was. I”m a bit jaded and apprehensive about people”s character that way.
What she told me made me sad and angry. So she taught me something. I wanted to help her and the other volunteers somehow.
I will donate to help them get back on their feet. I asked her if there was a number that people could call to make donations. She said the store had no phone or computer for e-mail, but they would be glad if people wanted to drop by Tuesdays through Fridays from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at 16255 Second St. in Lower Lake.
The very places designed to help those in need are having the carpet pulled out from beneath them.
The people who donate time, money and every available resource are being taken advantage of.
It sure is getting cold out there, and I don”t mean the weather.
Mandy Feder is the Record-Bee managing editor. She can be reached at mandyfeder@yahoo.com or 263-5636 Ext. 32.
