On any given day, you can find everything from Halloween costumes to cooking equipment at La Source d’Entraide thrift shop in Saint-Lazare.
The store relies on donated items to sell.
It also counts on 80 volunteers sorting through those items and keeping the store running.
All money raised from the sale of goods helps buy food for families in need in the Saint-Lazare area.
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Administrators say they were dismayed recently when they discovered some donations were disappearing.
“It’s frustrating because we are all volunteer workers, so when it happens it’s frustrating,” said volunteer Helene Bonneville.
Alarms kept going off every weekend. The managers reviewed hours of security camera footage.
They discovered that around midnight every Saturday night for the past month, a man and a woman would go to the store, and rifle through items that had been dropped off outside after hours. The video showed them taking many of the items and driving off.
“We work hard we try to do the best for the store and they just come and pick it and leave,” Bonneville said.
The store can’t afford to hire a security guard to keep watch at night. So the store posted security camera footage on its Facebook page, asking for help in identifying those involved.
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Hundreds of people reacted, with many saying they recognized some of the faces. The store has compiled a list of names and phone numbers.
The store manager hasn’t called police yet because she says she actually feels bad for those who may be involved.
“I think everyone can have a second chance in life, and probably those persons have a problem or they need money that is for sure,” said La Source d’Entraide director Melissa Gauthier.
Legal experts warn the Facebook post could leave the store vulnerable to a defamation lawsuit. And they caution police should always be called in if a crime has been committed.
“They have the powers and the right to intervene in what appears to be a theft and investigate it,” says defence lawyer Philip Schneider. “It’s their duty and their job. This shaming process, it’s very touchy, very dangerous. They are opening themselves up to some serious possibilities of a lawsuit for defamation.”
The store volunteers hope those identified will come in and talk to them, or at the very least, stop taking their things. They say they cannot afford to hire a security guard to monitor the store and the drop-offs at night.
But they say if the midnight visits don’t stop, they’ll have no choice but to call the police.
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