I wouldn’t do it, but I cannot get myself worked up about this.

Our school's PTA donates Lost & Found items (after sending out photos, reminders and a deadline) to our sister school (Title 1). Anyone who wanted to take from the L&F would know that they were cutting into a donation to a community linked to us, and in need.

For people with as few scruples as your bus stop mom, donations "to charity" might be too anonymous a deterrent.

So, I worked at a school and organized the last week lost and found day. Where kids and parents will come and try to find lost things. I found my DS's sweatshirts and then kids(private school, so pretty pricey stuff) came and just started taking stuff. Maintenance guy told the director that they are taking everything to Salvation Army, so I thought this would at least go somewhere and some kids took things. Whatever. Then the maintenance guy tells me, why don't I just take it all?! I was stunned, why would I want all this crap and clothing?! He says, he just puts it in his truck and dumps it in the first garbage container! I said, what about Salvation Army, he said, I can do it if I want, too much trouble for him. So...let them take it.

Anonymous wrote:I don't see how this is a problem, honestly.

Let's say the PTA is in charge of moving the items from lost and found to Goodwill. I am on the PTA, let's say. I am boxing the items for goodwill...I'm putting them in my car. I find nice pants, a jacket, a lunchbox, and more. Can't *I* take those items?!? What difference does it make if I take it, or if I give it to goodwill (which throws a lot away).

I'm the PP who said my first instinct would be to take it to resell but only IF that were okay with the school. My problem with the woman in the OP is that it sounds like she is going to claim the stuff belonged to her kid.

My kids take a Saturday class at an elementary school in the NW corner of Arlington. Every week I am amazed how many Patagonia and North Face jackets are hanging in L&F. How many jackets do these kids have? I don’t always chase down every lost mitten, but if my kid lost a winter coat or a fleece, I would notice.

It’s not right for non-needy families to steal from L&F, but you never know the whole story and I would probably look the other way. I don’t believe most of the stuff that gets donated even gets to kids who need it. I have taken all kinds of nice kids clothes to Goodwill and I never see anything nice in my local Goodwill. Every time I am there I see people dropping off kids bikes and yet I’ve never seen a bike for sale - despite looking for several months.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It's good for the environment since most of those items will end up in a landfill.

I think it is horrible when people don't hand clothes down or throw them away.

The school is donating them, not throwing them away!

NP. You are so naive. Goodwill throws out A LOT of what it receives. I don't care about shady Goodwill benefiting from the donation. I'd rather a real kid gets to use the item again.

The mom also might just be going to make sure none of her kid's things made it to Lost and Found. If more parent went and searched, it wouldn't be overflowing.

I don't see how this is a problem, honestly.

Let's say the PTA is in charge of moving the items from lost and found to Goodwill. I am on the PTA, let's say. I am boxing the items for goodwill...I'm putting them in my car. I find nice pants, a jacket, a lunchbox, and more. Can't *I* take those items?!? What difference does it make if I take it, or if I give it to goodwill (which throws a lot away).

Anonymous wrote:I would be tempted to let the school know this was the plan, and maybe have them pull the stuff the evening of the 2nd last day.

The school doesn't care. It just wants to get rid of the stuff.

I mean if it’s really the second before it’s going to get donated - meaning the true owners are not going to come get it - I don’t see a problem with it.

Anonymous wrote:It's good for the environment since most of those items will end up in a landfill.

I think it is horrible when people don't hand clothes down or throw them away.

The school is donating them, not throwing them away!

It's good for the environment since most of those items will end up in a landfill.

I think it is horrible when people don't hand clothes down or throw them away.

If your kid loses an item, why wouldn't you go claim it from Lost and Found? The kid/parent clearly isn't missing that item, so who cares if it goes to another kid in their school or to Good Will?

Tacky!

Terrible.

My mother used to do something similar. We lived behind an elementary school in a wealthy town. When walking the dog in the early morning, she would take any items left on the playground by the elementary school kids. She would then sell the items at a garage sale, for the thrill of earning an extra dollar.

People with morals would bring the items to the front of the school doors, to be placed in lost and found.

How is this person a liar? She said she was going after the end of the day. If the school donated it, and then she received it through charitable means or bought it at Goodwill, she would have “someone else’s stuff.” If she takes it from the donation pile after the rightful owner did not claim it, so what? The school is not donating them because it is important to give back to the community. They are donating because they have so much junk that they don’t want to store over the summer.