The holiday season is traditionally a time for giving. Apparently, someone thinks it is also the time for taking from the less fortunate as well.
Two Salvation Army donation buckets have been stolen from two separate Kirkland locations in the past month.
“I have been working on the Eastside for six years and we have never had this problem,” said Kalvin Bizek, who is the head of the Salvation Army on the Eastside.
The first incident took place at the Parkplace QFC a few weeks ago. A bell ringer went on break during the afternoon and was gone for less than five minutes. When they returned the bucket was gone. Bizek filed a report with the Kirkland Police Department and the bucket was later found at Forbes Creek with the handle cut in half.
“The kettles themselves are $75 for us to replace,” said Bizek.
The second incident took place Saturday afternoon with a new bell ringer at the Kirkland Fred Meyer. The woman had gone inside to ask another ringer how to close up and when she returned the bucket was gone.
“It was a window of less than 10 minutes,” said Kirkland Police Department spokesman Srgt. Rob Saloum.
Bizek said the ringer did nothing wrong and was quite shaken up by the incident.
“She was scared but it is not her fault,” said Bizek, who was unsure if the woman would return to be a bell ringer.
The amount of money stolen from the buckets rises to the level of a felony Bizek said, not to mention the moral outrage the incidents have caused.
“It happens about once a season but I have never heard about it happening here,” said Don King, a Salvation Army bell ringer at the Kirkland Fred Meyer. “I have been doing this on and off for 10 years.”
The kettles aren’t the only thing that have been stolen.
“I have had a couple of backpacks lifted from here,” King added.
The bell ringers are out from the day after Thanksgiving until Christmas Eve from 10 a.m. until 6:30 p.m. ringing their bells, opening doors for shoppers and taking donations at various locations.
“There had to be people walking by at both of those locations,” said Bizek. “If anyone has any information they can contact me or the Kirkland Police Department.”
The Salvation Army’s Eastside office is located in the Crossroads neighborhood in Bellevue and Bizek can be contacted at 425-452-7300.
Kirkland Police are still investigating the case and have requested surveillance tapes.
