Woman Caught Stealing Money from Donut Shop. But Owners' Response Is What's Making News
Galen and Cadi Schmidt, the owners of Holey Schmidt Donuts in Reno, Nevada, were watching the shop’s surveillance footage one evening when something shocking caught their eye.
A woman came into the shop in the middle of the day, reached into the tip jar, and took two handfuls of money before fleeing.
“Quite frankly we were in shock,” Galen said. “This hasn’t happened to us yet.”
But rather than getting upset by the incident, he and his wife realized there was something more going on.
“While we are saddened by this, we also realize that if someone is in a place in their life, where they are desperate enough to steal from hard working employees, they are probably pretty down and out,” Galen said.
So instead of reporting the incident to the police, they decided to hold a food drive for the woman.
“We just want her to know that there’s no hard feelings,” Galen explained. “We don’t want her to be scared or shy to come back in. We welcome her back in and we have a gift that we’d like to give her.”
The couple posted the surveillance video to Facebook this week, requesting donations of nonperishable food items for the woman. Any customers who bring in canned or boxed goods will also receive 10 percent off of their donut order.
“From day one my wife and I wanted to operate our business with love and kindness and better our community,” Galen said. “And being in Midtown we see a lot of people who are less fortunate, and this seemed like a good opportunity to show some love rather than cause damage.”
The shop plans to give the donations to the woman on May 7 if they are able to find her. Otherwise, the food will be given to the Food Bank of Northern Nevada.
“Maybe this person hasn’t had someone show her kindness in a long time,” Galen added. “Maybe she’s been down and out for a while and maybe this is just what she needs to turn [things] around.”
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