If you cruised up and down 14th Street this past Saturday, during the late morning-early afternoon, then you saw them everywhere.

Car washes and food plate sales being held at numerous local businesses.

“You can’t go to this auto parts business on a Saturday,” one of our readers told me a few weeks ago.

“There’s always some group selling plates, for some youth sports team, that won’t leave you alone.”

An elderly couple I know recently told me of how someone came to their business selling tickets for another plate sale which was to help pick up the tab for another youth athletic team traveling to yet another ‘World Series’.

This couple later showed up to the site where the plates were to be handed out only to find out that the organizers had been shut down by the City of Kingsville, supposedly.

The couple were told to drive by a back alley behind a downtown business to redeem their tickets.

They showed up, knocked on the right door and someone handed them their plates.

Or, if you’ve been reading lately, four families were recently accused of using the band booster club name of a certain high school - whose mascot we’ll call the ‘Toros’ - even though none of the parents involved are legitimate members of the organization.

This group of parents allegedly raised enough money to throw their kids a very nice graduation party and now the band booster club is ready to take legal action.

Isn’t it amazing how much moolah we can raise when we say we are doing it for the kids or because someone is sick and in need? Such causes are only worthy when they are authentic.

Is it any wonder why many people out there shy away from buying food plates or contributing to car washes?

Am I against fundraisers? Certainly not. You need to raise money when operating any organization or department.

But it’s hard to blame people for not wanting to contribute after they have been snake-bitten once or twice.

People holding fundraisers need to be upfront when it comes to the ‘why’ and ‘what for’, especially with so many hurting in this economy.

Every once in a while, I will hand over $10 for a $6 brisket plate and tell the kid handing me the food to keep the change. This is my way of helping my community and I am more than sure I am not alone in this practice.

But ‘I was Duped’ stories like the ones above are becoming more common, so maybe the general public shouldn’t be blamed for sometimes keeping their wallets closed.

Once while walking on a Las Vegas sidewalk, I spotted an old man sitting on a lawn chair who looked drunk and asleep while holding a sign. ‘Why Lie, I Need a Drink’ the sign said.

I chuckled and shook my head, but at least he was telling the truth.

(Rey Sifuentes Jr. can be reached at rataman2@yahoo.com)