Thief Steals Everything From Woman's LI Donation Table: 'Unacceptable'

GREENPORT, NY — Sharon Sailor was horrified Monday when she found that all the donations left behind at her restaurant, Front Street Station in Greenport, were stolen.

Since the pandemic started, Sailor given back to the community by collecting donations out back, organizing cleaning and arranging them, and then setting them up on table outside the business for whoever needed a helping hand or a smile.

On Monday, her dreams were dashed.

"To whoever came behind Front Street Station and stole all of the donation items for the repurpose table, you are a real. . . " she wrote. "There were more than 100 clothing items, plus household goods. Some were promised to people, others waiting to go to those in need, and you felt the need to trespass and steal much more than you could possibly need or use. It almost makes me want to throw in the towel — but then you would win!"

The project, Sailor said, is a lot of work, and seeing the items stolen, "Makes me want to quit," she said, adding that everything will now have to be secured.

The community was outraged, urging Sailor to carry on with her caring mission on social media, reminding her that one bad apple didn't take the place of the many who opened their hearts to donate and the many who have been helped by her caring heart.

"I won't quit," Sailor told Patch.

For years, Sailor has posted photos of available items daily, along with the note: "Like-new clothes today. Household bric-a-brac. Medley of shoes. The table is up and running every day even when I can’t post pics! All items free! Items stay out overnight, weather permitting, for those in dire need. If you need, take. If someone needs, take for them. If someone might like, cheer them up. Apart we are just buildings and people — together we are community strong!"

Call it love in the time of the pandemic: At a time when so many were faced with unprecedented challenges due to the economic impacts of the coronavirus, Sailor quietly set up the table outside her restaurant in 2020 to share discarded items that might mean everything to someone in need.

Sailor said in 2020 that the idea for the donation table was born because she hates waste.

"I love to repurpose," she said. "I had things that I, and some family members, were no longer using. They were nothing ‘special’ to us, just everyday items we had outgrown or replaced. Yet I thought to myself that something that's so benign and that we take for granted can be life-changing to others."

Sailor decided to leave the items out on the table overnight to "see what happens."

"We had two full tables the first night, and by the morning, one full table was gone," she said. "So an idea was born. I am community-oriented. Separately, we are just people and buildings. Together we are so much more a community. I am always looking for ways to give, to help, to give those less fortunate than myself the helping hand they need to progress. Sometimes all people need is to know that someone cares, that better is possible. Without hope, what do people have?"

The table is open 24 hours a day, seven days a week, Sailor said; the only time it's not out is when rain is coming.

"I feel people may be embarrassed or uncomfortable to take things during the day. Although I do get many day-takers," she said.

There are no restrictions on the items, no criteria, no income limits, Sailor said. "If you see it, like it, and feel you can give it life and make use of it, please take it."

Sailor also shares photos of the table and its treasures on Facebook.

"We have replenished and emptied the table countless times since its inception," Sailor said. "The sharing also prompted others to contact me that they had things to offer."

Several community members have dropped off wonderful items, many brand-new, which are soon up for grabs on the table, she said.

Surprisingly, baby clothes are not a hit, Sailor said, so whatever was donated was repurposed and given to a church that could use them. Coffee makers, pants, and household items are the biggest movers, she added.

Sailor shared why she decided to set up the table: "I have been very fortunate and blessed in my life as far as health and family. Now that I am a business owner and able to participate on a larger level, I live by two mottos: 'Your candle doesn’t burn brighter by blowing out someone else’s. Light theirs and you double the light,'" she said.

The other adage, Sailor said, is: "'You can get everything you want in life by helping others get what they need.' Hopefully, I am a small example of that."

The table is set up outside Front Street Station, located at 212 Front Street in Greenport.