A Pauls Valley meals pantry turned the goal of thieves who broke into final week and stole a number of the meals meant to assist space residents in want.
Samaritans of Pauls Valley Meals Pantry volunteers rapidly seen some injury and some issues have been moved after they arrived for a daily day of distribution on Thursday, July 28.
An estimated few hundred dollars price of meals was stolen from the pantry facility in Wacker Park, leaving those self same volunteers shaking their heads in disbelief.
Theft is unquestionably onerous to take for Lou Corridor, who has been a driving pressure behind Operation Samaritans for many years.
“I used to be shocked that somebody broke in. I did not suppose anybody would are available in as a result of now we have metal doorways. We have by no means had one in 44 years,” Corridor mentioned of a meals pantry theft.
“Who would rob the poor of the world. They’re the scum of the earth.”
Among the many many different very lively volunteers to ensure the Samaritans pantry continues to run easily is Bonnie Meisel, who can also be the Deputy Mayor of Pauls Valley.
“They entered by a conduit,” Meisel mentioned of the thieves. “They opened it up and walked in that method.
“Meals was stolen. They went round and touched the whole lot within the pantry.
“I am very unhappy. In the event that they wished meals, all they needed to do was cease and we’d have given them some.”
Probably the most notable was the theft of some meals from the packing containers already ready for the completely different numbers of individuals dwelling in a family.
In complete, meals was taken from seven of the 14 packing containers positioned on a desk able to be distributed the subsequent day to households in want.
“After we exit now we have packing containers able to go for the households that got here to the pantry.”
On that very same desk, the thieves left a part of a gallon of milk that they drank whereas going by the packing containers, together with canned spaghetti that had been opened.
It’s estimated that about $350 price of meals was stolen or “impacted” ultimately as drawers have been left open and numerous issues have been moved.
“The unusual factor is that they did not take something that they might go and resell. There have been two laptops, a vacuum cleaner, these issues are nonetheless right here,” Meisel mentioned.
“They did not take issues that have been price cash.”
It seems that after crawling by an exterior passageway, the thieves entered by the rear of the NYA constructing, which is now condemned after serving up to now as some type of group heart.
Whereas inside, the thieves additionally broke right into a former museum now used for storage, the place they “threw out this exhibit and took the again off this one.” A knife was additionally discovered on the ground of the museum.
When the thieves have been carried out, they apparently exited by the entrance door of the native pantry.
“The police really helpful that we safe the constructing in one other method and we are going to,” provides Meisel.
The plans are to “safe the again space” in hopes of deterring future break-ins and meals thefts from a pantry now serving low-income residents all through Garvin County.
