I think I just saw someone steal food

[electron_blue]

I think I just saw someone steal the food that was left out for the mailcarrier. A man and a young girl, his daughter?, about 12 yrs old got out of a van, picked up the food left by two neighbors, then gave each other high fives as they got back in the van and drove off.

The article in our online paper says the mail carriers will pick up food on their route as they hand out mail. Nothing about separate vans with families picking it up.

I suppose it's come to that - people stealing food left out for charities.

[Orrex]

1. Were they wearing raccoon-style bandit masks?

If you're going to engage in this sort of skullduggery, you'd better make damned sure that you get it right.

Honestly, where's their sense of propriety?

[electron_blue]

3. No, no masks! That would remove all doubt, of course.

[Deja Q]

2. Did you get a license plate number?

I'd call the police. :(

[electron_blue]

4. I couldn't see the license plate number. Too bad - this is really ruining the whole

idea for me. I normally leave something out, but didn't get around to it this time.

[grasswire]

11. maybe they are hungry

So consider the irony of being offended by hungry people who took food that was left out for the hungry.

[electron_blue]

13. Yes, irony. I think the fact that they had obviously rented a van (from a local company)

nixed the idea that they themselves were the hungry ones. I'll never know, of course.

[Gormy Cuss]

19. Maybe they are hungry or maybe they're just thieves.

It's hard to know. Then again, I wouldn't worry myself thinking about it. If they're hungry the food went to a good place. If they're opportunistic thieves, they'll probably be caught eventually for this or another offense.

[grasswire]

10. oh please

Don't the police have enough to do?

[suninvited]

21. You're joking, right?

I am going to assume you are. Theft is theft.

[datasuspect]

14. er, maybe not

they might have been hungry. everyone deserves to eat, even if they have to steal it.

[driver8]

16. Why call the police?

Maybe this family is hungry and needs the food now!

[zanne]

5. Maybe that's the way they're doing it today.

I can't imagine the mail carriers carrying about bags of canned goods when they have the mail to deliver, too.

[electron_blue]

6. Maybe. I always wondered about that.

Still - the article said the mail carriers themselves would be picking it up while in their vehicles.

[Roon]

7. I saw someone shoplifting food in a grocery once

part of me wanted to turn them in, another part of me felt bad that they were hungry enough to steal. So I just pretended I didn't see it..flame away...

[Flaxbee]

8. I would have done the same thing, Roon.

Maybe someone just likes to steal, or maybe they need food. Either way, I'm going to err on the side of the person who might be hungry...

[skygazer]

9. I wouldn't flame you - and I work in a grocery store

I'll go you one better - I have some sympathy when what they're stealing is booze.

I'm not one of those people who is offended that the bum I gave 5 bucks to might use it for booze or cigarettes. I am of the opinion that if I lived a marginal life on the streets and under bridges, enduring the judgmental looks of other people, I would probably smoke and drink too.

I don't necessarily condone stealing but I don't pre-judge people's motivations. There but for the grace of whatever go I.

[Fox Mulder]

17. I would've done the same exact thing.

[Oeditpus Rex]

12. Is it not possible that they needed it

as much as those it was destined to go to?



Perhaps they were just eliminating the middle man — which really isn't a bad idea.

[Fox Mulder]

15. Maybe they needed it.

If so, then the food your neighbors left out served its purpose.

[MilesColtrane]

18. There's a Salvation Army semi with a fenced area in a local grocery store parking lot.

People drop off their donated goods there sometimes when it is unattended.

I see people just as often, taking stuff out of there and loading it into their cars.

I'll never lose my astonishment for how easily some folks can obviously justify their unethical acts.

[orleans]

20. here--maybe this will help

the past few years when we put a bag out on the front porch there has never been a mail carrier that picked it up to carry it and everyone else's donation along their route.

it has always been someone (usually in a van) that stops by to pick up the donations.

that is probably who picked up your neighbors. (maybe they were counting how many people would give something and high fived when they hit a hundred?)

[Zoigal]

22. Why not call the PO and ask if they have other folks

picking up the food? Have often wondered how the mail carriers
managed to handle all the bags. I'll ask our carrier next time i see him, as well. z

[Generic Brad]

23. So they cut out the middle man

This food collection thing feels like a public relations blitz to me to detract from the fact that stamps are going up in price on Monday.

And how embarrassing must it be to be reduced to stealing food from a food drive? I'm pretty certain it still went to someone who was needy.

[Connonym]

24. I asked a friend who is a postal window clerk

He said that sometimes charities and food pantries will do the pickups, it depends on the location and how big the postal route is (i.e., the carrier might not have enough time to do it and finish his/her route). Sounds like what you saw may have been legit.

[samdogmom]

25. I worked the Postal food collection day a few years ago with my son.

In my community, the postal workers don't gather the donations. A volunteer follows them and picks up everything donated. The postal workers don't have space in their vehicles to collect all of the food/supplies donated.

My son and I got a postal worker with a walking route. We followed him with a wagon and picked up all of the food pantry donations. We transferred these to my car and delivered them to the food pantry. Believe me, when I did this...very FEW local postal workers actually picked up the donations. They all had citizen help following closely behind them on their route! Just an FYI.