SALVATION ARMY BELL RINGER ROBBED

Printer-friendly versionPrinter-friendly version Share this

 

December 14, 2013 (Lakeside) -- This story falls into the “how low can you go” category.  On Wednesday evening, two crooks stole donations out of a red Salvation Army kettle in front of a Walmart store off Los Coches Road in Lakeside.  One thief distracted the bell ringer while his partner in crime stole about $150 to $200 in cash.

Captain Terry Masango with the Salvation Army in El Cajon said it broke his heart that someone would steal money meant to help the poor.  “If they had just come to us and said, ‘We’re hungry,’ we would have helped them,” he said, the UT San Diego reported.

Fundraising has been down from last year and the loss makes it harder to brighten the holidays for local children and their families. Captain Masansgo asks the public to keep a watchful eye on volunteers, and donations are welcome to help make up for the losses due to these Grinches who spirited away funds meant for families in need. 


Error message

Support community news in the public interest! As nonprofit news, we rely on donations from the public to fund our reporting -- not special interests. Please donate to sustain East County Magazine's local reporting and/or wildfire alerts at https://www.eastcountymedia.org/donate to help us keep people safe and informed across our region.