Although there are signs stating otherwise… some people in the community feel that anything sitting outside of HOPE during (off hours) are free to go through and take (steal). We have been struggling with this issue for years, and although the police have worked diligently with us to fine/arrest as many people as possible, there are still those who regularly steal from HOPE.
We recently were able to capture on tape a habitual offender who “weekly” pulled up in his van, and loaded over 20 bags of donated items, furniture, etc., into his vehicle. If approached, he would say he is “donating.” We couldn’t prove otherwise, and he would simply drive away. This week, because of a new security system we were able to purchase through a grant received, he was caught not only by the police, but proof on tape of the huge amount of donations he had been stealing. Come to find out, he had been making a “business” out of this routine for quite some time.
On Saturday (early evening) and Sundays… this man would steal as much as he could from HOPE, and on Friday’s and Saturdays (get this) have a garage sale to sell everything he had stolen… and repeat the routine each week. He actually confessed to doing this. I still cannot believe that we provide “free” products and people still feel the need to steal…
If you know someone in need, please direct them to our Resource Center and find out how we can help them.
If you have donations, please visit our facility between Monday and Saturday from 9:00 – 5:00 p.m. For large item pick-up in the greater Oviedo area, please contact us at pickups@hopehelps.org. Thank you!
For volunteer opportunities contact Karol at Volunteer@HopeHelps.org
