ROSWELL, N.M. — A nonprofit is frustrated with thieves stealing donations essential for making money to maintain their day-to-day operations.

Krystle Noble, the kennel manager for the Roswell Humane Society, says donations help them get by. When thieves take those donations, they can’t sell them in their thrift store.

Noble says that hurts.

“The money earned through the thrift shop is what helps provide for the vaccinations, medications, vet bills and the utilities because we don’t get those things free,” Noble said. “It’s horrible, one, to steal from a nonprofit in general is just awful. but to be stealing from anybody you know? You didn’t go out. You didn’t work for it. It’s not yours. Don’t take it. Get a job.”

A security camera caught multiple people stealing donations left at their doorstep. People have been leaving donations after-hours after Noble said they had to close their overnight donation box three years ago.

“We did have to block that off for after hours because it was set on fire,” Noble said. “We have gone to extreme lengths to try to keep people from leaving donations so that way one, there are no thefts, two, it doesn’t leave things outside for people to vandalize to destroy.”

In the last six years, thefts have increased.

“We have people that will come and leave donations after hours obviously, and then it’s like, they’re sitting at the park or they’re not far away. And as soon as donations are dropped, there’s somebody walking up or driving up in rummaging through them to see what they want to take,” Noble said.

That means they can’t sell things like bedroom sets, washers and dryers and other items that generate money to care for shelter animals.

“Financially, that affects us hard. Donations are down because you know obviously the economy is in a little bit of a shift right now. But our main source of income comes from the thrift shop and if they’re not receiving donations that are being able to be sold, which is what generates the revenue to help the shelter, that takes a lot from the shelter,” Noble said.

Noble encourages people to keep donating. They ask you to schedule a drop-off time if you can’t make it during business hours.