The Happy Paws charity shop in Ħamrun was again targeted by thieves, who made off with the princely sum of €22.

Two individuals broke into the shop over the weekend after climbing into the backyard from a construction site nearby.

They made off with a cash box which contained all of €22, according to Lino Mintoff, a volunteer who runs the shop.

“The clothes we have here did not seem to interest the thieves,” Mr Mintoff told this newspaper.

Volunteers have taken the incident in their stride, but Mr Mintoff appealed for decency to prevail.

“It is already bad for someone to steal somebody else’s property, but it is doubly unfair considering we are a charity shop and people here are all volunteers,” he said.

Video footage taken from the shop’s CCTV shows the two individuals making their way to the front of the shop and then making off with the small cash box.

This was the second time in as many years that the charity shop was targeted. The last time was when a man was caught on CCTV stopping his car next to the shop and stealing items from the parapet, left there by benefactors.

It is doubly unfair: we are a charity shop and people here are all volunteers

After the story appeared in this newspaper, Happy Paws received an anonymous letter from the unknown thief, apologising for his actions and donating €50 to make up for his misdeed. Mr Mintoff showed his appreciation for the man’s apology publicly and expressed his hope that the incident would serve as an eye opener for others who may consider stealing donations.

Happy Paws is a registered organisation founded in 2004. It has a number of programmes, including free neutering for adopted stray cats and dogs.

It runs a number of charity shops, which help fund the organisation.

Benefactors donate unwanted goods, which are then sold at the shops.