A Yoxford woman who has been raising money for charity from a jam and chutney stall outside her home for 20 years says she is ‘sick and tired’ of people taking a jar and not paying up.
Margie Saker, 69, has raised thousands for local good causes over the decades with her delicious homemade delights but says all too often people leave without putting any money in the tin.
She says she doesn’t think youngsters are responsible for pinching her jam, as most of the time it happens during school term time, and suspects adults take a few jars because they think they can get away with it.
She is currently raising money for Ipswich Hospital’s special care baby ward.
Mrs Saker picks much of the fruit herself and spends hours at the hob making her jams and chutneys.
“I started doing it about 20 years ago,” she said.
“We change the charities every two years, a few years ago we were raising money for a ward at St Clements.
“We gave them £1,000 for two years on the trot.
“I went out there last week and there were two or three jars taken and only 20p in the tin. “Last Thursday there should have been £6 in there from the jam that was taken but there was nothing.
“Sometimes you get it happening twice a week.
“I have got a sign out there which says ‘jam and chutney £2’ with another sign saying the money goes to charity.
“It is clear as day.
“Whoever took that jam and chutney, how would they feel if somebody in their family needed to be on a ward or their son or daughter needed to be on the special care baby ward.
“I know what I would like to do to them but I will probably end up in trouble.”
Mrs Saker said she once confronted a woman who had taken some jam without paying.
“I saw her there and said to my husband ‘I don’t know what she is up to, I will go and ask her’.
“She had a top of the range car and said ‘I’ve paid’ when I went up to her. “I said ‘well I’ve got the key on my pocket for the tin - let’s have a look shall we’.
“There was nothing in there.
“She paid up in the end though.
“Sometimes it makes we wonder why am I bothering.
“I get so angry and upset by it.
“I am sick and tired of it.”
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