WESTFIELD – A Salvation Army collection kettle stolen from a city grocery store Wednesday afternoon ended up showing both the good and bad in people.
When bell ringer Jay Garcia told a woman the kettle had been stolen, she gave him a hug along with a $33 donation.
Garcia, 21 of Westfield, was on the last day of his job as a bell ringer outside of the Stop & Shop Supermarket located at 57 Main Street.
He said a woman approached him around 2 p.m. saying she was there to relieve him for his break, so he went into the store to use the bathroom.
“I have a six-hour shift,” said Garcia, “so I get a 15-minute break.”
When he returned, the bell and kettle were gone.
He called his supervisor, Kayla Tingley, one of the kettle coordinators in Westfield, who told Garcia that she hadn’t sent anyone to relieve him.
Garcia was devastated.
Garcia and a witness were able to give Westfield Police a description of the suspect. She was described as short, dark-skinned and wearing a scarf across her face.
“She was all bundled up,” said Garcia, but he believes her jacket was purple.
The witness said he saw her and a man walk behind Stop & Shop.
Hurley put out an alert and will be reviewing video footage from Stop & Shop’s surveillance cameras.
“This is our biggest week,” said Salvation Army Western Mass Field Representative Emily Mew, “so there could have been $200 to $250 in the kettle, if not more.”
Another customer was ready to hand Garcia a dollar, and when she learned of the theft, she gave him $10.
Mew said this has been known to happen, but it had not happened in her area in the past two years.
Hurley said it is the first time he has heard of this type of theft.
When asked whether the couple might try to solicit for donations elsewhere, Hurley said, “They probably went up near the railroad tracks, opened the kettle, took the cash and dumped the kettle and bell there.”
Garcia wasn’t happy about his first year as a bell ringer ending on a sour note, but said, “The people of Westfield are very, very generous.”
“The city of Westfield is incredibly generous with both money and volunteers,” said Mew.
The Salvation Army kettle campaign ends on Christmas Eve.
Staff Writer Christine Charnosky can be reached at [email protected]
