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Thieves steal from horticultural nursery

Jul 24, 2011 | 8:24 AM

A non-profit group that runs a historic nursery near the village of Parkside is putting on a brave face after losing some much needed funds to thieves.

The Honeywood Nursery is out $4,600 after thieves broke into the village office and pried open the safe, where the money was being kept.

It's a major hit to the organization, said David Moe, Honeywood board chairman, who explained they are constantly struggling for funding.

“It’s a little discouraging,” he said. “It is a provincial heritage site and we struggle for funding all the time. It can’t quite support it self yet, so we’re always doing fundraising events and accepting donations to keep it going.”

The Honeywood board had just had a successful Lilies in Bloom fundraiser and had placed the money in the village office for safe keeping on July 17.

“There was nobody in the office on Monday, but Tuesday morning when the administrator came in somebody had jimmied the back door and rifled through the safe and stole the cash,” he said.

Moe said he has reason to believe the theft was not random. “It seems like somebody put two and two together.

“Normally at our little village office there is very seldom any cash there … It seems too coincidental that this happened the night there was cash put in there.”

The non-profit organization is carrying on the best they can despite the theft.

“Well, we’re no destitute, but it’s going to put a strain on us no doubt about it,” he said.

Honeywood has looked at a few options already and are focusing on our other main fundraiser at the end of September, said Moe.

Honeywood Heritage Nursery is a horticultural oasis located in the middle of farmland in the rural municipality of Leask. The restoration of the Provincial Heritage Site has been ongoing since the group bought the property in 1999.

bbosker@panow.com