Strange as it may seem, there is good news from a story about crime.
The charity, World Vision International will receive clothing with a retail value of $2.3 million. It’s actually “counterfeit” clothing. (Unique source of gift-in-kind donations; wouldn’t you say?) That means the clothing had counterfeit trademarks of various famous brands.
But what does that matter? Jeff Fields, a World Vision spokesman, said that about 20% of the food and clothing they receive is from counterfeit seizures by Federal agencies. “The main thing is, we’re able to put a new pair of shoes or a new shirt on someone who otherwise wouldn’t have them,” Field said.
This latest seizure involved 15,500 pieces of clothing such as athletic shoes, jeans, jackets and more. They were seized by U.S. Customs and Border Protection officials at the port of Los Angeles-Long Beach.
According to the June 11, 2010 article in the Pasadena Star-News, “Once federal forfeiture procedures are completed,” Border Patrol spokesman Jaime Ruiz stated, “seized items may be donated to relief efforts and to charity outside the United States, with the trademark owner’s approval.”
Yup. It’s nice to see some good come from the acts of scumball criminals who make life more difficult for so many others. A gift-in-kind donation from an unlikely source but still beneficial to those in need.
