(STORY IMAGE:KHQ.COM)
SPOKANE, Wash. -The holiday season is a time for giving and lots of people are looking for ways to help organizations. But one man wants to warn people of people who are trying to take advantage of this giving spirit.
Kelly Dorsett is a coordinator with Toys for Tots Spokane. He says this is the season he loves because he can help kids in need get toys for Christmas.
On Saturday, he was on his way to the Toys for Tots warehouse with his son Cody when he saw a man and a woman in the median along Division and Cozza with a sign saying they were raising money for that organization. But he says these two were suspicious because the buckets they were using weren’t locked at the top, weren’t ones Toys for Tots uses, and their fundraising efforts are coordinated through the office. So he went to go talk to them.
He says they told him that they were collecting money for Toys for Tots and they tried to brush him off. Kelly went to the office to tell them what happened.
“We had two sergeants to go back to talk to them,” but he says they were already gone. He doesn’t believe that they were fundraising for the organization.
“It infuriates me because here's someone stealing from other people under the guise of doing good,” Kelly says.
Kelly just hopes that this won’t hurt people’s giving spirit to help organizations that help others.
“I love giving and I think giving is a lot more fun than receiving,” he says. “A kid should open up a toy on Christmas Day. Every kid should.”
If you would like to donate to an organization, you can always verify how with their office. For Toys for Tots, you can do so online or by check. For more information: https://spokane-wa.toysfortots.org/local-coordinator-sites/lco-sites/local-donate.aspx