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Millbury laundromat owner finds over $500 in store, tracks down rightful owner

MILLBURY, Mass. — If honesty is the best policy, a Millbury laundromat may have the best policy in town. The owner discovered a wad of cash in a dryer and knew just what to do with it.

After a long Monday, David Delaney wanted to go home when a regular customer dropped off her laundry at his laundromat, Sudz City.

"I said, 'hey, do you mind if I do it on Tuesday?' and she said, 'yeah, don't worry about it, no problem,'" Delaney recounted.

He washed and dried the laundry loads.

"As soon as I came back, I went to the dryer," he said.

Security footage pinpoints the moment dollars began to drop.

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"I didn't think anything of it," Delaney said.

Until the trickle became a flow.

"I'm taking out 10s and 20s," he recalled.

He counted $530 and called the customer. She was embarrassed when she came in.

"I could tell she was fighting back her tears," he said.

Returning the $530 was easy for Delaney.

"Number one it's not my money," he said. "My Catholic beliefs tell me to do certain things."

Giving back is a big part of what Delaney does; he also collects food donations for the local senior center.

"I understand family struggles. I have struggled," he said. "I've gone to bed hungry, and I know many families have gone to bed hungry."

He's owned the laundromat less than a year. Thursday, as more people learned of this story, clothing and food bank donations picked up, along with hugs.

"I was not surprised," said Russell Anderson, a customer. "That is just what I hear about him, his reputation."

"I try to teach my children about giving back to the community that has embraced us," Delaney said.