Red Kettle Woes

I just read an article in this morning's paper about the Salvation Army still out with their kettles, even though Christmas is long gone. I've noticed them still around but didn't think much of it. They said donations were down considerably so they extended the season, so to speak. I'm afraid I haven't been as generous this year as in the past, unlike my husband that doesn't pass a kettle without reaching deep in his pocket and pulling out something to put in. I guess my attitude stems from an incident the winter before this when we went to Erie County Farms. As we were leaving, I grabbed a dollar bill and headed for the kettle intending to put it in myself. The guy attending it saw me and reached his hand out to take the money and said thank you. As I turned, out of the corner of my eye, I could have sworn he put his hand in his pocket, not the kettle. It left me with such a bad feeling that I just don't look at those kettles the same way anymore. How could people who are good enough to donate their time and stand out in the cold the way they do, take advantage of a situation like that? Maybe it was my fault in the first place - by giving a bill instead of coins, was it too easy to resist the temptation? It probably shouldn't have mattered to me as I was donating to the needy and if he needed it, then all was good. But my expectations of people that I perceive as a step above me, that is clergy, politicians and those working in non-profit affiliations, is that they should do the right thing. I'm not saying that because I'm not involved in one of those areas, that I have free rein as far as what I do, but when you are in the public eye, you have that responsibility to set an example. I guess it comes down to morals and each of us doing what is right despite our station in life.