BY AMY FLOWERS UMBLE

At 4 p.m. Sunday afternoon, a truck drives up to the Salvation Army's Family Store in Fredericksburg.

It pulls up near warehouse doors to the side of the thrift shop on Lafayette Boulevard, next to a large posted sign that reads, "Please leave donated items during store hours only, Monday--Thursday, 9:00 a.m.--4:00 p.m."

"Items left at other times are subject to theft!"

Surveillance video of the thrift store parking lot shows a man reaching into the bed of the pickup truck and leaving what looks like oak furniture--a dresser, a desk, a wardrobe and some smaller pieces.

At 4:50 p.m., a woman leaves a vacuum cleaner and a microwave.

At 7:30 p.m., a woman drives up in a blue truck. She heads to the back of the truck, lowers the tailgate, makes room in the bed and then helps herself to the dresser, desk and smaller pieces of furniture.

At 8:30 p.m., a woman in a dark minivan drives up, lifts the rear door, rifles through trash bags of clothes and household items, then picks up a large blue plastic tote, a trash bag full of stuff and the microwave before driving off.

At 9:05 p.m., two women show up with a child, picking through stuff, loading up their minivan for eight minutes before leaving with their loot.

Scenes like these played out repeatedly over Memorial Day weekend and most Sunday evenings, said thrift store manager Sharon Schweining.

"It's actually very sad when you think about it," she said. "We spend a huge amount of time trying to meet the community's needs. It's just taking revenue away from what we can put out in the community."

For example, the oak furniture stolen at 7:30 p.m. probably would have sold for about $100, Schweining said. The Salvation Army could have used that money to feed a family of four, she said.

The thrift store helps the community in various ways, said Capt. Michael Harris of the Salvation Army's Fredericksburg Corps.

Donated items are either given to needy people or sold at the thrift store. If sold, 100 percent of the proceeds support the agency's efforts at feeding, clothing and sheltering those in need, Schweining said.

The thefts rob the Salvation Army of another resource--time.

Workers now spend about two hours each Monday cleaning up strewn clothes, toys and damaged furniture left in the alley beside the thrift store.

That's time they could be using to pick up more donations or to get goods ready to sell.

The Salvation Army installed security cameras on the property and can watch the thefts, but so far, Harris doesn't know what he'll do with the information.

"We appreciate everything everyone gives, but I wish people would understand that giving after hours creates a huge mess and a lot of heartache," he said.

Amy Flowers Umble: 540/735-1973
Email: aumble@freelancestar.com