Donation stolen from driveway

Marion Heisner is a charitable woman.

The Westlake Village resident recently stuffed a large bag with clothes and other items, and arranged for the Retarded Citizens of Ventura County to pick up her donation.

The organization collects used clothes, furniture, toys and household items for resale to raise funds for support and other services that benefit retarded adults.

Heisner put the bag in plain sight on the driveway near her garage, but around 11 a.m., the driver knocked on her door and asked her for it.

Apparently, someone had stolen the bag.

"My heart sank," Heisner said. "I was sick and angry." She added that although she believes it is wrong to steal, she is consoled by the fact that the person who took her donations must have been needy.

"I hope that they need it more than the other people," she said.

Detective Phil Abner of the Malibu/Lost Hills Sheriff’s Station recommended that charitable donations can either be directly delivered to an organization, or placed in a more discreet location with instructions for pickup at a designated time.

Heisner will continue to be a charitable woman.

However, she will keep her donations inside her home, and arrange for the person picking up the items to knock at her door.