Donations taken from bin
Saint Dizier Home and Susan Graf Limited on the Plaza have been participating in the Healdsburg Shared Ministries winter coat drive for years. Each year the two businesses put out tan collection barrels in front of their stores for people to bring by gently used or new coats for adults and children.
Now the two businesses are more apprehensive about leaving the barrels outside during business hours, after five brand new kids coats that were donated by Cathy Hopkins, co-developer of Saint Dizier Home, were stolen sometime between Tuesday and Thursday during one of the last two weeks of November.
“We do this coat collection every year with the coat barrels outside and someone took the coats from the Saint Dizier bin,” Susan Graf said.
The coat drive is always a popular event, which sometimes yields 800 or more jackets that are then given out to families at the St. Johns Catholic School gym.
“We’ve never had this happen before,” Graf said shocked. “These coats are for donations, it is just not right.”
Hopkins had purchased five kids coats in various colors from Target and placed them in the bin with their tags on.
The bin also held some used coats, which were left untouched.
The two aren’t reporting the incident to the Healdsburg Police Department as the coats can easily be replaced; Graf and Hopkins are most upset about someone taking items that are for charity.
Hopkins said of the day they were stolen, “I never saw anyone suspicious or anyone poking around.” She added, “I put the coats in their on Tuesday and took the bin in and put it out again on Wednesday and when I brought it in that night they were gone.”
She initially thought that Graf might have come by to gather them since the bin quickly gets full.
When asked if she knew why anyone would take them she guessed it may have been someone hoping to resell them or return them for a cash refund. “The better end to the story would be if a family took them because they needed them to help keep their children warm, (but I don’t know).”
Hopkins plans to replace the five coats. “It really feels good to help them (families). People need a nice warm coat in the winter.”
For those who wish to donate, the bins will be accepting coats until Dec. 20. People can drop of gently used or new coats for all ages at Healdsburg Ministries designated bins.
