Man Turned In $17K Cash He Found Outside Food Bank

SUMNER, WA — About three months ago Kevin Booth was waiting outside the Sumner Food Bank when he spotted a brown paper bag on the ground near the food bank's community bread box. Picking it up to throw it away, Booth was reportedly surprised when he found the bag was filled with cash — $17,000, to be exact.

When Booth found the bag, however, he didn't realize how much it was holding, he told The Tacoma News Tribune last week. He pulled out $20, debated whether he should take it, then ultimately gave the whole bag and all its contents to a food bank volunteer when the building opened.

After Sumner Food Bank administrators figured out what the bag was holding, they called police to investigate. Officers reviewed security footage from outside the food bank but were unable to determine who left the bag; although they did see who picked it up.

"I got stopped later by (officers) and they told me what was in there and I just about fainted," Booth told TNT reporters. "I've never touched that much money and I don't think I ever will again."

Police officials held onto the money for 90 days, waiting to see if anyone would claim it. When nobody did, all $17,000 was returned to the food bank.

For his honesty, Booth was rewarded with gift cards and a citizen's citation — from the Sumner Food Bank and the Sumner Police Department, respectively.

"Not every citizen would be as honest as you in this situation," Sumner police Chief Brad Moericke reportedly told Booth.

An occasional beneficiary of the food bank's philanthropy, Booth has been homeless for the past seven years, though he's lived in the Sumner area for about 19 years, TNT reported.

"There are a lot of people who would have taken it," he said. "I'm just not that person."

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