Volunteers at the charity shop were left wondering how anyone could stoop so low as to steal their donation box from the counter.
The thief used bolt cutters to release the chained box from the counter when the shop assistants were answering a customer’s query.
It only took a matter of seconds for the incident to take place and the thief to disappear from the premises.
Manager Nic Oakes said: "The shop has been through a tough time trying to recover - as all other Oldham businesses are - from the effects of lockdown, and the volunteers were working hard to make up for lost time.
"The donations in the box were for Oxfam’s India Covid appeal to support vaccination projects amongst India’s poorest communities.
"The theft has spurred myself and the rest of the volunteer staff to work even harder to make up for the loss."
"If anyone who was in the area, either inside or outside the shop at 32, Yorkshire Street, just after mid-day yesterday, and they saw anything suspicious, please can you contact the police."
