A Slightly Different Perspective
I know it may be kind of a bitter pill to swallow, but hold your heads up, you guys are OK, and not only in my book, but by the standards that all men should be held up to. You saw someone in need and you blindly tried to help. That's how it oughta be. Once you sent off your gift in good faith it was out of your hands. Like everyone that donated to the Salvation Army, or the Sandy Hook tragedy or whatever, once you wrote your check or or packed your cue and sent them off, or dropped your change in the bucket all you could do was hope. Although I may be a bit naive, I would choose to believe that the donations got to Jenny, no one really knows otherwise for certain.
Your charitable actions and expressions were admirable, if the OP took advantage of the time of year and your generous natures then the OP's actions were despicable. I would suggest that when similar threads pop up, as on occasion they do, if the forum isn't provided with photos of the recipient and their gifts then perhaps the Mods would take action and institute a ban from ABZ until photos can be provided, but not even so much as proof. Let me be clear, when I've given a cue or a football or a baseball mit or whatever item I've given as a gift, I don't do it for the thank you, I just hope for the opportunity to see the football played with or the coat worn, or the cue shot with. It brings the gesture full circle, and even if they never know where it came from, it gives me great joy and satisfaction to know it was used and appreciated, and frankly, it makes me smile and even if only for just that day, for me the sun shines brighter, the air is cleaner, I just feel better.
Giving from the goodness of your hearts I'm sure provided you some warmth as I'm certain it does every day, but if the OP lied and took advantage of you all, well then not only did they rob you of material items, but also you were robbed of the opportunity to feel a little better, and they may have even robbed the next person in need of your charitable nature. Perhaps you feel you've been burned once too often and it will not happen again. Whether moral or legal, the OP could be guilty of great crime, for that I am very sorry.
Whatever your feeling please don't let this affect your good and generous nature. Everyday I come upon someone that may need help or at least might like some help and everyday I try to help, I was just raised that way.
Everyday I find an opportunity to ask my self an age old question: Am I my brothers keeper?
You bet your ass I am, my brother needs me and I need them. It's not a religious thing. I'm not a bible thumper, or a Christian, or even a good Catholic, but really, if not me, then who?
You guys did a good thing, you deserve to feel good about it regardless of what may have really happened. Kudos to everyone that made a difference from the goodness of your hearts, there needs to be more like you.