CARY, N.C. (WNCN) — Barb and Jerry Derome were out walking their dog in their North Carolina neighborhood when they came across an envelope lying in the grass.

“We just went, ‘Oh my gosh’ and just started counting and counting and then realized, ‘Boy, we’re really glad we picked it up and opened it,'” Barb Derome said.

Who wouldn’t be glad to come across more than $1,000 in cash? But Barb Derome said she didn’t consider keeping the cash, and instead handed it over to the Cary Police Department.

“One woman said, ‘Bless your soul that you would come in with money,’ but I just really feel like that’s our commitment and our obligation,” Barb Derome said. “It’s not our money, and we need to at least make some attempt to find the owner, and if that’s not the case, then it’ll go to something where it’s needed.”

This is not the first time something like this has happened to the Deromes on a walk. Barb Derome said she often spots mail on the ground and checks to make sure it’s nothing significant.

“We found someone’s credit card once before, actually twice we found credit cards, and luckily we were able to give them back to the owner,” Barb Derome said.

As for the cash, there are plenty of people who might have snagged it before it was found. Barb Derome herself ignored it for a few days, assuming it was junk mail.

By the third time she passed it, however, she had to make sure it wasn’t something important.

“I don’t know if I should be embarrassed or not, [to] be the mail person, but luckily I am, you know?” Barb Derome said. “And you know, hopefully, whoever it belongs to, they’ll claim it. I’m sure someone’s worked really hard for that.” 

Cary Police will hold the cash for nine months. If the owner does not claim it by then, the Deromes can. If that ends up being the case, they plan on donating the money to charity.