The search is on for a real life Grinch who stole a countertop Salvation Army Kettle from the U-Stop at Highway 34 and Fletcher last week. “They allow us to put our counter kettles right there by the register and sure enough, somebody tucked one in their jacket and walked off with it,” says Captain Kelsey Moreno with the Salvation Army in Lincoln.
She says they will never know how much money was in the kettle. “But our counter kettles do quite well. We find that people are pretty generous and they’ve got a little bit of change left from their purchase, they drop it right in there.”
Moreno tells KLIN News they rely on that money to help them provide food and gifts at Christmas time and for all of their other programs throughout the year. “Every single penny that is donated and received by the Salvation Army is put to good use right here in Lincoln and Lancaster County,” Moreno says. “That’s probably the biggest disappointment of all is that took away from the people that we serve.
Moreno says this isolated incident shouldn’t deter people from making a kettle donation. “People when they see the red kettle they are inspired to give, not to take and it’s still a very safe way to give. Go ahead and drop your donations in.”
You can see video of the naughty list thief on U-Stop’s Facebook Page.