An evil act has been countered by acts of kindness.
Mantecans opened their hearts and wallets after a thief made off last week with money from a concession stand that is the source of funds needed to buy equipment and uniforms for the Lincoln Elementary School basketball teams.
Landon Wolfe, a teen who serves as the Manteca City Ambassador through the Manteca Youth Focus effort, presented Lincoln School Principal Randi Sousa on Tuesday with a check for $1,885 to replace the stolen money.
The East Union High junior launched a drive to try and replace the stolen funds the evening of the theft.
His request to help the Lincoln School students so they wouldn’t suffer from the robbery was met with a number of donations.
They ranged from $5 up to $500 presented by Rod Johnson Air.
Many responded to a Facebook posting while others read in the bulletin about what Wolfe was doing and dropped donations by the school office.
There were also $100 donations each from the American Legion, Manteca Police Officers’ Association, and Sunrise Kiwanis.
The Manteca Raley’s store also donated a $50 gift card so the team could enjoy a party at the end of the season.
Landon and his dad Todd Wolfe were attending last Wednesday’s Lincoln School boys basketball game at the Powers Avenue campus.
While watching the game. they struck up a conversation over a course of 20 minutes with a man who was also there.
They were stunned when suddenly the man bolted toward the concession table, grabbed the cash box, and fled to a waiting car.
Another witness’ 67-year-old husband gave chase to the getaway vehicle – described by Manteca Police as a white Dodge SUV – in the parking lot. He was able to punch the window before the vehicle headed out of the parking lot down Powers Avenue towards Moffat Boulevard.
The fleeing man was described as a black male wearing a dark colored hoodie and described as being 5-foot, 10-inches tall and weighing approximately 350 pounds.
Landon that night used his dad’s Facebook page to reach out to his father’s acquaintances to explain what happened. He asked if they would be so kind as to consider helping with what they could to help replace the lost funds.
To deter thieves some school districts in the area have resorted to using online-only ticketing for sporting events – eliminating the need to take cash at the door. While the online ticketing system eliminates the possibility of theft, the school receives less money out of the door take to pay for the cost of using the digital system.
Anybody with information about the vehicle or the person who may have grabbed the cash box is encouraged to contact the Manteca Police Department at 209.456.8101.
To contact Dennis Wyatt, email dwyatt@mantecabulletin.com
