Salvation Army donation kettle stolen from front of Wallkill supermarket

Police are looking for the person who took off with a Salvation Army donation kettle.

The red kettle was chained to its tripod stand in front of the ShopRite supermarket on Route 211.

Middletown Salvation Army Major Mary Moore said the bell-ringer had just taken a break around 6:45 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 2, when a shopper saw the robber take off with the kettle and stand and started screaming for him to stop.

The police were called immediately through 911. Surveillance video is being studied by the police in hopes of identifying the perpetrator.

Moore said the kettles are locked and, after a day in front of the store, she estimated it contained about $500 in donations.

“For someone to take the money and take off, obviously they were desperate for funds for something and they have taken it from the Salvation Army, who at this time of year, especially, is trying to help hundreds of families in our area, not only to have toys for Christmas, but also food baskets for the families,” she said.

Moore warned that, if shoppers see a kettle in an unusual location, check to make sure it is an authorized person, not the thief. Salvation Army employees and volunteers all wear aprons and have identification cards to show they work for the organization.