Hides for veteran project stolen

SKYE POURNAZARI/THE FORUM
Shown Tuesday, is one of the many Elks Lodge hide donation boxes located throughout Nodaway County. Last weekend about 20 hides were stolen out of a box located next to the No. 760 Lodge.

MARYVILLE, Mo. — On Saturday, Dec. 15, a member of the Maryville Elks Lodge reported the theft of deer hides from the organization’s donation box outside the main lodge building.

“I took it to the police just to let them know it occurred,” said John Nelson, exalted ruler of Lodge No. 760. “I couldn’t believe it happened honestly.”

He said the person or persons who took the hides must have known something about them, because they left four small ones and another that had turned.

“It’s like they graded them when they stole them — just took the good ones,” he said. “They looked through them and took the good ones and emptied the box. I don’t know if they targeted us or if it was just by chance.”

Several boxes are located around Nodaway County from Barnard to Elmo and from Burlington Jct. to Conception. Nelson said they had gathered hides from around the county and moved them to the centralized location to be worked on this weekend. Because the weather has warmed, the hides begin to thaw and need to be worked.

“We keep them outside so they stay cold and don’t spoil,” he said. “We went to gather them and take them to a member’s shop to clean them and I discovered then that somebody had pilfered them,” Nelson said.

He’s not sure if it’s happened before, but says that it’s impossible to know if someone has stolen from other boxes.

Moving forward, the Elks don’t have plans to lock the boxes, because the hides are large and need to have a large enough opening for donors to easily place the hides.

“I don’t know how you could make it to be like a bank night box to be able to stuff a hide in there and not be able to get one out,” Nelson said. “It’s got to be a big box and it’s got to be open.”

Nelson hopes that with more public awareness of the boxes, others will help keep an eye on them and even question someone should they feel comfortable doing so.

Keith Wood, director of Maryville Public Safety, told The Forum that the hides had been missing over a period of time. It was noticed that a few were missing Saturday, Dec. 8, but the majority – about 20 – were missing by Saturday, Dec. 15.

“They’re not worth a whole lot,” Wood said. “They’re worth a lot more for what the Elks were going to do with them.”

He said it’s sad because of the project the hides are a part of and the time of year. The Lodge collects donated hides; pays for the process to turn them into gloves; and then donates the finished gloves to veterans who use wheelchairs. This is all donated time and money by the Elks Lodge and its members to provide veterans gloves free of charge.

“Hopefully someone will get a heart and return them this season,” Wood said.

He even offered the idea that perhaps the person who took them would be willing to drop them off at a remote location and call MPS to go get them.

“We’ll take them anyway we can get them,” said Wood. “The Elks would love to get them back. They’re far more interested in getting them back than pressing charges.”

Nelson said if the person or persons who took the hides is that desperate for money or they’re starving they should come to them and ask for help. The Elks is a charitable organization and would help.

“This is a donation for a veteran’s program to provide gloves for veterans in wheelchairs,” Nelson said. “I was taken aback that anyone would even consider stealing from a veteran in a wheelchair.”

For more information or to offer tips, call 660-562-3209.