| Submitted by Pat Mahaun
Last May I was walking my dogs through the neighborhood when I noticed
something at the side of the road. It was small and pink, and as
I crossed the street to look more closely, I discovered that it
was a gift card from Foley's. It read, "Happy Mother's Day."
Figuring it was either all used up or maybe expired, I considered
it litter, put it in my pocket and continued walking. About a week
later, as I was doing laundry, I found the card again and decided
that, just for the heck of it, I'd call the 800 number on the back
and see if there was any money still on it. You can imagine my utter
surprise when the operator informed me that no money had been spent
thus far and that the card was worth $100. I asked for the name
of the purchaser so that I could call him or her with the good news,
but was told that these gift cards are completely untraceable.
The card was mine to spend as I wished. I began to envision cute
little strappy sandals, colorful capri pants and pretty blouses.
However, the more I thought about it, the more I realized that this
card could be put to better use through a donation to charity. Knowing |
that one of my favorite organizations was soon
to host a silent-auction fund-raiser, I decided to spend the $100
on housewares that might generate cash for them. I waited for the
Foley sales flyers and coupons to show up in the Statesman, then
headed to the mall. I was thrilled to walk out of Foley's with more
than $400 worth of kitchenware, including the donation of an additional
Calphalon pan from a sympathetic department manager.
To the mother who was the intended recipient of this generous gift,
if you are reading this, please know that the receiving charity,
Blue Dog Rescue, does wonderful work in re-homing dogs, mostly mixed
breeds. Often these dogs- some puppies, some older-are not only
homeless, but all too often they've been starved, abused, and badly
neglected. Your lost Mother's Day gift helped spay or neuter some
of them, plus get several much needed, reduced-cost vet care from
Feather and Fur Animal Hospital. In your loss, I hope you can find
consolation in knowing just how your gift card was used.
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