The woman who heads the Salvation Army’s Pennies from Heaven Christmas campaign says “double dipping” has become a big issue in Clarion.
“We are finding a lot of duplication,” said Renee Vowinckel, the chairwoman and founder of Pennies from Heaven.
“Some people will go to the school to get help for Christmas, others will go a certain group or to a certain church,” she said. “Then the parents take half of the stuff back to get the cash back and the kids don’t get anything. It is mind numbing the games people play,” Vowinckel said.
“Through the Salvation Army and Pennies from Heaven and hopefully the Ministerium in the new year we will collaborate more,” she said. “I already work with schools and check very vigilantly that they are not going to other places.”
“They sign a paper when they are picking up gifts stating they are not going elsewhere,” said Vowinckel.
Vowinckel says she spends “as much time on checking people as I do shopping.” She said she shops year round buying gifts on sale when she can.
Occasionally there is actually theft, she said.
“One year it was cold so we let people inside while we were still getting set up,” said Vowinckel. “There were two tables by the door and by the time we were ready to start those two tables were totally cleaned off. People would take the stuff and run back to their cars with the gifts. Every year we are upgrading something.”
There is a penalty for duplication, she said.
“When I get the papers and I find they have cheated they will not be eligible the next year,” she said. “I have had 48 people who called to enroll this year and they got help somewhere else last year. They will say they didn’t but I have the sheets with their signature on them.”
“If they do it a second time then they are done for life,” Vowinckel added. “Pennies from Heaven is not government funded. It is all private donations therefore I can pick and choose. If I accepted government grants I would have to provide for everyone,” she said.
“I feel that people who are working and donate shouldn’t be supporting the ones who are game playing,” she said.
“We changed Pennies from Heaven to a working program,” she said. “So many people who work don’t qualify for so many other programs and this helps them. All they have to do is show us a pay stub that proves they are working. A lot of times people who work are just over the income limit to receive help with heat or other things.”
“They don’t think we are checking but we are,” she said. “It is a pain but we are hoping that by doing this they will tell other people that we do check,” Vowinckel added.
This year’s Pennies from Heaven distribution will be Dec. 12 at the Zion Church in Clarion.