The Grinch was up to his old tricks Tuesday.
A thief stole a kettle from the Salvation Army bell ringer stationed in front of the Belk store at Hanes Mall. The kettle contained $50 in cash, according to a Winston-Salem police report. The kettle itself was valued at $75.
To which organizations do you plan to make donations this holiday season?
The incident happened around 3:15 p.m. It was cold and rainy, and bell ringer James Griffin III said he was helping a grandmother and her four grandchildren get through the double doors of the store.
When Griffin returned to his post, the kettle was gone. He didn't see who took it.
"I was disheartened," he said. "They took my hard work."
Major James Allison, commander of the Salvation Army of Winston-Salem, said he couldn't believe that someone would steal the kettle, "and take money from the Salvation Army, which is raising money to help people in need."
If the thief had a need, the Salvation Army would have helped, Allison said.
"We have no animosity toward the person who stole the money," he said. "We wish them a happy holiday, but taking money from someone else is not the way."
Winston-Salem police Lt. Brad Yandell said that officers have no description of the thief, and there was no video surveillance of the theft.
"We have absolutely no leads at all," Yandell said.
Griffin was undeterred by the theft and was back his post Wednesday, greeting shoppers. This is his second year as a bell ringer.
And, he said, the theft has ramifications.
"The ringing of the bell is a cry, a plea to help 24,000 people in the city and county of which 10,000 are kids," Griffin said. "We are trying to feed, clothe and provide Christmas toys to these kids."
The theft did result in a good deed.
Julia Outlaw, Belk's store manager, put $100 into the replacement kettle, Allison said.
Copyright 2013 - Winston-Salem Journal, N.C.
McClatchy-Tribune News Service
