Lightning McRead is suddenly living large.News partner The Patriot Ledger reports the tortoise and longtime mascot of the children’s room at the Tufts Library has been the beneficiary of an outpouring of donations in the week since a thief grabbed a water jug full of donated cash meant for his care.“It’s just amazing,” Library Director Robert MacLean said. “It’s been a community-wide response. It’s a great silver lining to what was a sad story.”On Sept. 4, a man grabbed the jug and ran out the door to a waiting black pickup truck, police said. The jug contained between $150 and $260 in spare change and dollar bills that library users had donated over the course of the summer.As soon as word of the theft spread, the donations started rolling in, MacLean said. As of Friday afternoon, the library had received $484 in new donations. A resident pledged another $200 if the stolen money wasn’t recovered by the end of the day Friday.Police had not identified a suspect as of Friday afternoon, Capt. Richard Fuller said.The library staff decided to put the jug out this summer to help raise money for food, bedding and veterinary care for Lighting, a Russian tortoise that was given to the library by a family that could no longer care for him in 2006.The newly donated money is being kept locked up, MacLean said.Even Lightning seems to have been caught up in the excitement his story has generated.“He’s peppier this week. Maybe it’s something in the air. He’s walking around and he’s a little bit more active,” MacLean said. “If we can do some nice upgrades to his tank, he should be pleased.”

Lightning McRead is suddenly living large.

News partner The Patriot Ledger reports the tortoise and longtime mascot of the children’s room at the Tufts Library has been the beneficiary of an outpouring of donations in the week since a thief grabbed a water jug full of donated cash meant for his care.


“It’s just amazing,” Library Director Robert MacLean said. “It’s been a community-wide response. It’s a great silver lining to what was a sad story.”

On Sept. 4, a man grabbed the jug and ran out the door to a waiting black pickup truck, police said. The jug contained between $150 and $260 in spare change and dollar bills that library users had donated over the course of the summer.

As soon as word of the theft spread, the donations started rolling in, MacLean said. As of Friday afternoon, the library had received $484 in new donations. A resident pledged another $200 if the stolen money wasn’t recovered by the end of the day Friday.

Police had not identified a suspect as of Friday afternoon, Capt. Richard Fuller said.

The library staff decided to put the jug out this summer to help raise money for food, bedding and veterinary care for Lighting, a Russian tortoise that was given to the library by a family that could no longer care for him in 2006.

The newly donated money is being kept locked up, MacLean said.

Even Lightning seems to have been caught up in the excitement his story has generated.

“He’s peppier this week. Maybe it’s something in the air. He’s walking around and he’s a little bit more active,” MacLean said. “If we can do some nice upgrades to his tank, he should be pleased.”