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Thieves grab Salvation Army donation box

Two robbers broke into the Trail Salvation Army store and took off with the donation box.
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Maggie Drought, manager for the Salvation Army Thrift Store in downtown Trail, shows where the site’s front door has been reinforced with a heavy metal plate following last week’s late night robbery. (Sheri Regnier photo)

To the two thieves that stole the Salvation Army donation box, you could have just asked for help.

In the thick of the night, last week two unknown males used a crowbar to jimmy the front door of the Salvation Army Thrift Store in downtown Trail. Within seconds, they entered the premises and used the crowbar to pry the donation box off the front counter, then escaped into darkness with the loot.

The crime took less than a minute, but the $100 that was in the donation box would have gone a long way to help patrons at the Salvation Army food bank and soup kitchen.

Moreso, Major Ginny Kristensen says the organization is there to help those in need, all anyone has to do is ask.

“It’s very disappointing that people would break in and steal,” Kristensen told the Trail Times.

“If they need something, we are more than willing to help them with it.”

With the front door fixed and cracked glass replaced, the resilient group has moved on after swallowing the monetary loss - but the way the store takes community donations will change from now on.

“We take it as a loss, there’s not a lot we can do to get it back,” said Kristensen, clarifying the thieves fled with the donation box itself. “We will put out a new donation box and figure out a better way of hooking it down … or we are going to have to put it away in a safe or do something other than leaving it bolted to the front counter.”

Greater Trail RCMP Cpl. Devon Reid confirmed the break and enter took place late Thursday evening or early Friday morning.

He says there is video surveillance, but the two perpetrators remain unidentified.

“The two males had hoodies up over their heads and some sort of a covering over their faces,” he said. “So we couldn’t see their faces, and there was nothing identifiable on their clothing. However, we are still investigating and looking at other avenues.”

Reid says the thieves had obviously been in the store prior to the crime.

“They broke into the front door and in less than 30 seconds, took the donation box and left.”

Cpl. Reid encourages anyone with information to contact the Trail RCMP at 250.364.2566 or Crime Stoppers at 1.800.222.8477.



Sheri Regnier

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