Ongoing thefts hurt veterans’ club, others

Up until only a few years ago, the American Legion Post 26 in Biddeford was in danger of closing.

The former schoolhouse building on Route One – almost directly across from the new courthouse complex — was in serious disrepair with a leaky roof.

Other non-profit organizations, such as the American Red Cross, could no longer use the building for activities such as hosting blood drives or community meetings. The group’s membership of roughly 100 veterans was struggling for ideas about how to keep their club headquarters open.

Biddeford Mayor Marty Grohman – then a state legislator who was trying to help a couple of local veterans – came up with a winning idea.

Grohman donated a small garden trailer and suggested that the club should ask for donations of redeemable bottles and cans that could be dropped off in the trailer, parked near the side of the busy Route One corridor.

Grohman’s fundraising idea took off. Soon the veterans were collecting between two and three thousand dollars in donations each month.

They used that money to make long overdue repairs to their headquarters: a new roof, a new furnace and the parking lot was repaved.

But the community’s donations of bottles and cans didn’t just help local veterans. The funds kept alive a regular meeting place for the Girl Scouts and a function hall that is used by other community groups, including local wedding receptions, celebrations and non-profit activities.

But as the old saying goes, no good deed goes unpunished.

On a regular basis, a small handful of people help themselves to the bags of bottles and cans that were intended as donations for the non-profit veterans’ organization.

“It started happening frequently, so we moved the drop-off trailer a little closer to the building,” explained Ted Sirois, adjutant commander of Post 26. “We were stunned, a couple people just kept stealing bags and bottles. They were pretty brazen about it.”

Sirois said the group decided to install exterior surveillance cameras and posted warning signs on the trailer.

But the thefts continued and the bandits were rather brazen, seemingly unfazed by the cameras and warning signs.

“It was really quite unbelievable that the same people would keep stealing from us, over and over again,” said Post Commander Richard St. Onge.

Grohman also said he was discouraged about the ongoing thefts.

“These veterans do a lot of good things for our community, and they are always ready and willing to help others,” Grohman said. “All thefts are bad and unwarranted, but this really is a new low — to steal from people who risked their lives to serve our nation. Moreover, when you steal from these veterans, you’re stealing from the whole community.”

After reviewing some of the surveillance footage, the Biddeford Police Department conducted an informal sting operation.

“We sort of knew exactly who we were looking for, but we are also able to catch a couple of people red-handed,” said Biddeford Police Chief JoAnne Fisk. “It really is quite unbelievable how callous some of these individuals were, even after we caught them.”

“It was really quite unbelievable
that the same people would
keep stealing from us,
over and over again,”

— Post Commander Richard St. Onge

Although police cannot be conducting surveillance 24 hours a day, Fisk said that anyone taking bottles and cans from the donation trailer will be summonsed and charged with theft and possible criminal trespass.

Meanwhile, St. Onge and Sirois say they much appreciate how the community has supported Post 26 with donations of bottles and cans.

“But that’s only half the battle,” Sirois explains. “Collecting and transporting those donations takes a real team effort, and we’re lucky to have some hard-working volunteers in our midst.”

In addition to serving as the local American Legion headquarters, the building also houses the local chapter of the Vietnam Veterans of America.

Next week, the Red Cross will be conducting another community blood drive at the post.

“We’re always looking for ways to help the community,” Sirois says, pointing to a recently installed outdoor water spigot. “If some group wants to have a car wash, we can accommodate them right here, in our parking lot.”

The American Legion Post is alcohol free, making them a popular place for hosting family functions and youth activities.

“All we want to do is help people,” St. Onge says. “I can’t understand why anyone would think it’s okay to steal from the community.”

_______________________

Randy Seaver is the editor and founder of the Biddeford Gazette. He may be reached by email at randy@randyseaver.com

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