A mystery in Mount Airy has a local thrift shop searching for a good Samaritan.

Continue reading

It centers on a donation that has the recipients thinking the gift was a little larger than intended.

It all started a few days ago, when volunteers at the St. James Episcopal Church Thrift Shop found a large amount of cash in a clothing donation that had just been dropped off.

A gift? Maybe. But parishioner Lynda Ellis says she felt it wasn’t intended.

Now the church is trying to track down the donor to make sure it was a gift and not a mistake.

“They may say no we really meant to donate that to you and that would be wonderful for our thrift shop and for our community but we really want to find that person and at least be able to thank them,” Ellis says.

The money now sits at the bank waiting for its rightful owner.

People in this town say they believe the shop is doing the right thing. They say in these types of situations honesty is always the best policy.

“I would love for them to find their money and get their money back,” says resident Charlotte Eaton.

Eaton worries someone may not have noticed they are missing the money.

“It might be some money that is going to pay some bills or it might be all they have,” Eaton says. “It might be all the money they have.”

But others - like Sarah and Bryan Grose - wonder if this was just a good Samaritan in disguise.

“Since it’s a church operated center maybe they thought that they could use it in some way,” Sarah Grose says.