An anonymous Good Samaritan has donated $200 to compensate for the work of an ''evil'' thief who stole money meant for the homeless.
An otherwise successful fundraising effort by about 200 people in the Octagon overnight on Friday was marred by the theft of a full donation bucket.
The sleep out was organised by the University of Otago Volunteer Centre, the Dunedin Night Shelter Trust and Otago University Students Association to raise money for the night shelter to buy its two buildings in Lees St and secure its future.
The theft, by an offender described by University of Otago Volunteer Centre co ordinator Sze En Lau as ''some evil person'', happened just after 1am on Saturday.
The donations bucket, which Ms Lau estimated contained about $200, was placed on the stage area of the upper Octagon for passers by to give money.
Someone ''ran up and ran off with it'', she said. Police and students searched for the offender, but with no luck. The theft was ''disheartening'' and ''very disappointing'', she said.
However, a Good Samaritan contacted Dunedin Night Shelter Trust chairman David Brown and offered to donate $200 to make up for the loss.
''It just brought home the message that the spirit of helping others in Dunedin is well and truly alive,'' she said.
The donor, who wished to remain anonymous, told the trust he hoped the gesture would ''undo some of the negativity'' the theft had caused.
The event, supported by Dunedin's The Star community newspaper, included busking, cardboard fort building, a sleeping bag race, Zumba and a pancake breakfast.
The trust had already raised $380,000. By yesterday, the event had raised $7000 towards the remaining $220,000 needed by October.
The stolen bucket, with the cable ties that secured it cut, was found empty in the Dunedin City Council car park on Filleul St.
CCTV cameras located on the Civic Centre have been checked, but are blurry. It is hoped another camera in the Octagon has footage of the offender.
Southern District Command Centre deployment co ordinator Senior Sergeant Craig Dinnissen, of Dunedin, said police would ''definitely'' review footage from the cameras.
