Happy Returns: Lost and Found at Goodwill

 2/28/2014

Well-meaning donors can mistakenly drop off things they wish they hadn’t.

Photographs, keepsakes, personal documents — and even cash — get mixed in unknowingly with the wares and clothes that are given to Goodwill.

It can take good detective work to reunite donors and unintentional donations.

“I get calls for things donated in error. I also try to locate the owners of things that have been donated that our processors think might have been donated by mistake,” said Eva Capparello, Donated Goods Assistant. “Our awesome processors have found and given to me many things that I’ve been able to track down the owners, or a family member of the original owners.”

Like the case of the Misplaced Mementos. A processer found a birth certificate, marriage license and two baptism records. Thinking that they might be wanted by a family member, the processor turned them over to Eva.

Her search started in the usual way, plugging names into Google. The marriage license was from Kansas, so Eva had a starting point. However, the couple also had a very common last name, making it an exhausting search.
Eva found little on the woman, right away. There was a grade school listing but with a slightly different name. She forged ahead with the man’s name and finally found an obituary. A good clue: Items often end up lost when packing up a recently deceased family member’s home. His obit listed his wife and children.

Eva kept digging. She found the wife’s obituary. It was in a Kansas paper, but listed her place of death as Tulsa and just a few months prior! Also listed was a daughter in Texas, who had an uncommon last name. However, searching that name only turned up a business website for a counseling service. Were they the same person? Eva took the chance and sent an e-mail.

And she received a response: The owner of the service was the woman’s daughter. Her mother had passed away in Tulsa a few months before, she explained in the reply. The family didn’t know the documents had been donated. She was extremely grateful that Eva had alerted her and would very much like to have them. She asked that the items be sent her way.

Eva offered her condolences. The documents would be mailed out that Monday, she wrote.

“I appreciate your kind words and your efforts to find my mother's stuff a home. You're an angel,” the daughter replied. When she received the lost items, she was still amazed that someone would go to that kind of effort to return them.

“I always try my best to locate the owners of things that land on my desk,” Eva said. “I feel it’s important to find who it belongs to.”

Being able to do so is a credit to the hard work and dedication of the Goodwill team members, who work diligently with the donated goods, Eva added.

“They are the true heroes to any stories that end with items getting back to their owners or a family member.”

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Goodwill Tulsa makes an effort to return mistakenly donated personal items. If you need assistance, call 918-584-1200. You can also e-mail info@goodwilltulsa.org or​​ post a message on our Facebook page.