In a disheartening turn of events, a food pantry in Bolingbrook, Illinois, has been forced to halt its operations after falling victim to theft. The culprits targeted the pantry’s trucks, making off with catalytic converters and causing significant disruption.

This marks the second instance in just three months where thieves have targeted 4 K.I.D.S. Sake, a local food pantry. The repeated incidents have not only stalled their critical work but have also resulted in approximately $10,000 worth of damages, further straining their resources.

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Theresa Watson, a representative from the pantry, explained how the thieves managed to use a battery-powered tool to efficiently remove the catalytic converters. “It took us about two months just to get our trucks back on the road,” Watson shared, reflecting on the previous theft.

Unfortunately, they are now confronted with the same predicament. The damage is extensive, as the precise removal also severed the O2 sensors, compromising the entire exhaust system. This setback means they are unable to carry out their vital task of collecting food donations from local grocery stores.

Watson highlighted the impact of this interruption, particularly as the pantry was ramping up operations to meet increasing demand. “With doing food recovery pickups six days a week, just at the beginning of this month, with SNAP benefits not being funded, we saw 500 families the first week of November,” she stated. The timing couldn’t be worse, as the holiday season approaches, making the situation not just disappointing but truly devastating for the community they serve.

“With doing food recovery pickups six days a week, just at the beginning of this month, with SNAP benefits not being funded, we saw 500 families the first week of November,” Watson said. “As we’re going into the holiday season, it’s not just disappointing. It’s devastating.”

She says, over the summer, both of their box trucks were impacted, but says the people responsible were never caught.

She says they have taken pride in being able to provide items with shorter lifespans, like milk, fruit and vegetables, giving out full meals to families in need.

“We have enough to sustain our shelves, but that’s not going to cover the produce or the dairy or those kind of things,” Watson said.

Watson says they now park the other box truck off-site just for safety as they try to remain hopeful their mission can carry on.

“We’re pretty strong. We’re pretty tough; we’re pretty resilient,” Watson said. “However, it’s scary because you don’t know how many times this is going to happen.”

Bolingbrook police did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the theft.

CoVantage Credit Union is offering to match up to $10,000 in donations to the pantry during this upcoming Giving Tuesday.