One tree at this year’s Festival of Trees was the victim of a Grinch-like crime over the holidays.
The Copper Kettle Community Partnership group’s tree was chosen the winner by organizers, although the amount of donations under the tree was less than it could have been. Overnight between Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, donations by the tree were stolen, including the group’s kettle, which was to be filled with monetary donations.
“In all of 17 years this is the first time that something like this has happened,” said Copper Kettle administrator Cherie Geauvreau. “Somebody came and took all of the donations and the kettle. They left three jars of Ragu and tea . . . All of the stuff underneath [the table] and on top was gone, including the kettle.”
Since the theft, more donations came in to the tree, which on Friday had food, blankets, sleeping pads and other necessities piled around it. Geauvreau said that the donations were a testament to the generosity of islanders.
“It’s wonderful. We all have so much to give, and we realize it only once or twice per year,” she said. “We have so much to give. It’s all going to go to people on Salt Spring.”
Though she was disappointed about the theft, Geauvreau said there was not much her group or anyone else would be able to do about it.
“They have to go through three or four days of video, and even after that, what do we do about it?” Geauvreau said. “If somebody needs something that badly on Christmas Day, they can go for it.”
The Copper Kettle tree was the only one affected by the theft.