COLLEEN OBRIEN
Donut shop owner responds to theft with kindness
May 30, 2018, 2:13 PM
When donut shop owner Galen Schmidt spotted on his surveillance system a woman stealing from his tip jar he didn’t call police. He chose kindness instead.
“Somebody who is willing to sneak into a crowded room and grab a few bucks out of a jar, I mean, you’ve got to be pretty down and out,” Schmidt told News4 in Reno, Nevada.
In response to the theft, Schmidt decided to hold a food drive for the woman. He says a little kindness and compassion can go a long way and won’t hold her actions against her.
“Maybe this person hasn’t had anybody show her kindness for a very long time. Maybe she’s been down and out for a while and this is just what she needs to turn it around. Who knows? We don’t know anybody’s back stories,” Schmidt said.
He collected food for a week and had hoped to track down the woman so he could give it to her. If he can’t, he says, the donations will be given to a food bank.
“We just want her to know that there’s no hard feelings that she doesn’t have to be scared or shy to come back in, we’d welcome her back in and we have a gift that we’d like to give her,” Schmidt said.
