Waipukurau Cranford Hospice shop staff gutted after thefts of donations

Waipukurau Cranford Hospice shop manager Lisa Watson is frustrated and angry after thefts of donations from the store. Photo / Warren Buckland

Waipukurau Cranford Hospice shop manager Lisa Watson said she was left frustrated and angry after people have been stealing donations from the store. Photo / Warren Buckland Lisa-Watson.JPG

"Kind donations" gifted by members of the public are being stolen from the Waipukurau Cranford Hospice shop.

Manager Lisa Watson said someone had been entering the back yard, where donations were usually dropped off, climbing into the caged area and helping themselves to the goods.

"If anybody knows anything about this, we ask that they come forward. The Cranford Hospice is such a good cause and we provide a strong service to the community," Watson said

The hospice shop is never quiet, as Watson has a team of 55 volunteers as well as members of the public visiting the store in search of personal treasures on a daily basis.

All the money spent in the shop goes directly to Cranford Hospice and Watson said to have someone come in and "help themselves" to the donations was devastating.

"It's really, really frustrating and we're quite angry. We've got such a generous community and then people just come in and take the donations.

People are donating things to us for our cause and there aren't many people in the community that haven't had family members go through the hospice. So they're basically stealing from themselves and their families."

Watson said the community was already backing the shop after the thefts - they had been donated a roll of barbed wire from PG Wrightson.

They are also working with the police.

"We're looking at different security measures. Things will change as we move forward, but it's a shame because we haven't had to do this in the past and whatever money we have to spend on security that money isn't going to the hospice."

Marketing and fundraising manager Janice Byford-Jones also expressed her concern about the burglaries.

"I am really disappointed to hear that the Cranford Hospice Charity shop in Waipukurau has been subject to burglary and damage.

Safety of our staff and volunteers is absolutely paramount, and it is extremely concerning to us that these break-ins are intimidating and threatening to our team.

I want to raise awareness within the community to assist us in identifying these people and to try and minimise any repeats of this behaviour."

"This damage to the property, in addition to the clean-up required afterwards, is time-consuming, costly and stressful for our staff and volunteers."

CEO Janice Byford Jones said it was "hard to understand" why somebody would do this.

"I think most people respect the work that we do and it is not something that we are used to happening to us," she said.

Each year they must raise $2.8 million from the community in order to provide free, specialist, palliative care to dying people and support for their families in Hawke's Bay.

Byford Jones said she guessed one of the motivations was that the burglars needed some sort of help.

"I would like to think that there are other agencies in the community that could help people if they do need this help rather than having to resort to stealing from other members of the community".