SASKATOON – The apple tree in Doris Lemke’s front yard was more than a beautiful fixture. It meant a lot to her. On Sept. 21, she woke up and all her apples were gone.
“Doesn’t everyone want to be independent and self-reliant? That was our thing. This year it was really loaded with about 250 apples, and we were really excited about it,” she explained.
Each year, Lemke eagerly anticipates the comfort and delight of making homegrown apple sauce for her son Richard. It’s one of the few things his stomach can handle.
“It’s actually painful for him to eat. He was okay until he was ten, and he had bowel cancer. My son hasn’t eaten fruit for a number of years, because his stomach just couldn’t take it.
“When they stole the apples off my tree, I just thought, really? This too?” she said.
So Lemke took to Kijiji. She wrote a strong-worded letter, addressing it to whoever plucked the plentiful apples from her tree.
The ad quickly garnered several thousand views, and community members were touched. People brought Lemke apples, garden produce, and baked goods.
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Neighbour Victor Huang said Doris hasn’t been the only victim of theft on their street.
“I had some front yard solar lights, and people just came and grabbed them and we didn’t know,” he explained.
“I thought of contacting the police station, but there’s no trace of anyone stealing the stuff so i don’t know how to look into it,” said Huang.
Though Lemke may never find the thief, what she has found is compassion in her community.
What’s the nicest thing a stranger has ever done for you? Share your story in the comments section below.
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