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Found some money that was for someone else
I used to work at a child care facility before it closed down in June 2011. When we closed, I took a lot of paperwork and file info with me. Just yesterday, I was cleaning out some of that old info and found an envelope marked "lunch money refund" for a particular family with $32 in it.
I'm not sure of whether or not I can even reach these people.
If I cannot contact them, what do you think would be the "right thing" to do with the cash?
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In the grand scheme of things $32 is not that large a sum of money. Still if it belongs to someone else it is always best to try and get it back to them as legally it is not yours.
If you have tried and failed the right thing to do is to take the money and the information you have to your local police department. They may or may not accept such a small amount to try and trace the owners for. If so the money is then legally your.
If they do accept the money and are unable to trace the owners or the owners do not pick up the funds in a specified period of time. Then again the money becomes legally yours.
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Doubt you have much chance of tracing the intended recipient nearly four years after closure of the establishment. Are you even sure it isn't a refund TO the establishment BY a client? I might write lunch money 'refund' on the envelope and pop it in a drawer under such circumstances and never get around to banking it? Small discrepancies like this in company accounts often go unnoticed until a month-end or longer, they get sorted eventually. But if the company closes they would possibly never be rectified. If you can't trace it I'd either keep it, or (as mentioned) give it to a charity. We have 'Charity Shops' in the UK and they very often have useful household stuff in very good (even boxed and unused) condition. How about keeping the cash and if you see something useful sometime you could buy it and tell them to keep the change, even if it's more than the price of the object. The charity get all the money, plus YOU get something useful. A good result for everyone!
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If you do your best and can't reach the people to give them the money, then it's not due to any fault of your own. You shouldn't feel guilty over keeping it but if you'd rather help someone out with it, do so, make a donation to a charity, to a homeless person or maybe even another day care facility. It's not much but sometimes these days, every little bit can help.
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