A thief took off with a red Salvation Army kettle filled with money, the tripod and sign from the 81st and Lewis Walmart Saturday, said Captain Ken Chapman, Area Commander of The Salvation Army Tulsa Metro Command.
“A kettle at a location like this will average at least $800 in a day,” said Captain Chapman. “We may also be looking at repair costs for the equipment and replacing the kettle.
“This thief isn’t robbing The Salvation Army,” said Chapman. “He is robbing the people we serve – the most vulnerable in our community.”
The kettle was padlocked to its 6 ½ foot tripod that also holds a large sign and a “DipJar” – a device that allows people to donate with their credit cards. All the equipment but the kettle was recovered. Chapman noted that no information is retained in the DipJar making it useless to any thief.
Chapman added that the loss is additionally distressing because kettle donations are running 20 percent behind.