Thieves pilfered good will when they broke into a local charity’s thrift shop, officials said Thursday morning.
Sherry Mobley, manager of the Habitat for Humanity ReStore, said she was angry when she found someone had broken into the 307 W. Union St. store.
“If it’s someone who needed help, I wish they would have asked,” she said. “This was uncalled for.”
According to Mobley, burglars broke in through glass doors at the front of the store and swiped $3,000 to $4,000 worth of jewelry and a laptop. The thieves also smashed open a $700 cash register that had just enough money to start the day.
She said an employee at neighboring Mission Station noticed the broken glass when she came in at 8:30 a.m. Thursday and called Morganton Public Safety.
The store was closed Thursday morning as volunteers cleaned up the shattered glass and made the necessary arrangements to reopen in the afternoon.
“That lost a big part of our business day,” Mobley said.
Marla Black, Habitat executive director, said the store is looking at a security overhaul to prevent a future break-in.
“I’m very frustrated,” Black said. “We just want to help people.”
L.C. Harrill was at the store Thursday morning to drop off donations. A regular Habitat contributor, Harrill said he was stunned to hear that someone broke in.
“I think it’s terrible,” he said. “I really do.”
Proceeds from the store support the Habitat for Humanity building fund for Burke County. The fund helped build two houses last year.
Anyone with information on this break-in is asked to call the Morganton Department of Public Safety at 437-1211 or anonymously report a tip to Morganton-Burke Crime Stoppers 437-3333.
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