Helping Hands director Lana Lasley reported that security cameras caught a woman filling a white truck with bags that had been dropped off in one of the store’s donation bins on the morning of May 4.

On May 5, Lasley and her fellow volunteer store staff members opened that same bin to find it stuffed with garbage.

This comes after a series of nearly nightly visits from a red, late-1990s Subaru Legacy, whose three occupants also were recorded raiding the bin by security cameras.

“We always tell people, and have signs posted, that if you need something, but don’t have the money, just ask,” said Lasley, who touted the store’s policy of not charging anything to customers who have been impacted by last year’s Oso slide. “We still get families from that area who come in, just looking for clothes to wear, because what they had went down the river. When they’ve tried to pay, I’ve told them, ‘Your money is no good here.'”

Helping Hands became a significant channel for contributions to survivors in the wake of the slide, even as it continued chipping in to all its regular community organizations. Last month alone, the store was able to return $10,000 to the community through donations to various groups. But as Lasley pointed out, when the community’s donations of inventory keep getting stolen, the store has nothing to sell and no way to raise money.

“They’re stealing us blind,” said Lasley, who’s been in constant contact with Arlington police about the thefts.

Police advised Helping Hands to obtain a more advanced security system, that would allow store staff to check security cameras on their smart phones at home, but Lasley pointed out that Helping Hands already has invested $500 in its current security cameras.

“That money, and however much more money we spend on security systems, is money that we can’t give to the community,” Lasley said.

In the meantime, store staff has sought to unload the donation bins whenever they’re able, and Lasley is asking community members to drop their items off during Helping Hands’ hours of operation, from 9 a.m. to noon Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays.

“One of our donation bins doesn’t unlock to the public, but you can’t drop off glasses or dishes in that one without breaking them,” Lasley said, adding that even the locked bin has been broken into by thieves. “They pick through and tear open all our bags. Once they see how good the donations are that we get, they keep coming back.”