Sedona AZ (October 22, 2020) – Felicia Filep, Director of Development of the Humane Society of Sedona (HSS) met with the employees of the Sedona Builders FirstSource today to say thank you for their donation of $405.00 to homeless animals at the Shelter after one of two of the HSS collection canisters was stolen in early September.
The team of over 30 employees were shocked when they discovered a customer at one of two of their check-out lines stole the Humane Society of Sedona’s donation canister which had approximately $50.00 in change in it. The thief placed their backpack on the counter over the container and ended up walking off with it.
The missing canister was quickly noticed by the cashier and other customers, and the Sedona Police Department was notified. After reviewing the security camera footage, officers were able to identify the suspect.
Ms. Filep, who is in charge of the collection canister program, had not been officially notified the box was missing as the employees took it upon themselves to right the wrong that had been done first by creating a collection amongst their team members for the animals. Over the next month and a half, the Builders FirstSource team raised over eight times as much as had been stolen!
Scott Cooper, the Builders FirstSource Store Retail Manager then sent an email to the Shelter on October 14, 2020 stating: “As you know we have donation boxes for the Humane Society of Sedona at our cash registers. I’m sure you are aware by now that one of the donation boxes was stolen. We believe there was roughly $50 in it. We worked with Officer Beers and the Sedona Police Department and through our security system the perpetrator has been identified. Bad news is neither the box nor the money has been recovered.
Builders FirstSource and our employees feel terrible about the misfortune. Our employees felt so badly they wanted do to something special. They passed around a card and asked for donations on your behalf. At our employee meeting this past week the card was presented to our management team with an outstanding donation from our employees of just over $400.
With the current state of social media, our employees often seem to be brunt of someone’s bad day. Whether we forget to pull up a facemask or we don’t have something someone
needs and the customer goes to social media to blow up a situation. It’s refreshing to see our team stand out for something positive when in fact they could have simply stepped back and done nothing.
We are disappointed that someone felt they could take advantage of the Humane Society by stealing the donations but we are VERY PROUD of the fact the our team stepped up and tried to make it right. We at Builders FirstSource are proud to be part of the Sedona Community and working together as a community will bring us all closer.”
The Humane Society was overwhelmed when informed of the generosity of this local business who has participated in the collection canister program for some time at this location. “The kindness of the employees of Builders FirstSource should be celebrated.” said the Shelter’s Executive Director, Jennifer Brehler. “Our donation canister program is in over 80 local businesses and each penny in these boxes makes a difference to our ability to ensure homeless animals find new homes. It has been a challenging year for everyone, which makes this act even more meaningful.”
The Humane Society of Sedona relies on the support of the local business community through the donation canister program, event and kennel sponsorships, Thrift Store van advertising, in-kind donations, our hotel pet partnership program, as well as private monetary donations and bequests. Founded in 1966, the Shelter continues to take in lost, injured, and surrendered dogs, cats, and other small animals from 10am to 4pm daily by appointment only. Please contact the Shelter for more information on (928) 282-4679.
Builders FirstSource is the nation’s largest supplier of structural building products, value-added components, and services to the professional market for new residential construction and repair and remodeling.