Once again the Storehouse Community Food Pantry has fallen victim to burglars.

Bill Mounger, president of the non-profit organization, confirmed that when workers for the pantry arrived Wednesday morning they discovered doors to the food pantry were open and that an outside window was broken.

He said this is at least the third time the pantry had been burglarized.

Mounger said it looked unlikely that they could have entered through the window, since the space was small.

“But somehow they got inside,” he said. “They took all the hot dogs we had, all the tuna fish and all the meat Kroger gives us and took a wagon we use to carry food out.”

The Storehouse Community Food Pantry is located at the site of the Good Shepherd Center on Cherry Street and Mounger said tapes were being viewed from the Good Shepherd Center’s security cameras.

The theft of these items, Mounger said, would have been heartbreaking in a normal circumstance, but it is even more troubling now due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

“The combination of the two things, of having trouble getting things at the grocery stores we order from and being robbed puts us at risk for how long we stay open,” he said. “Also, it’s hard enough to get volunteers down there with this coronavirus going on. If we can’t get enough supplies in here to distribute, it eventually may make us close. I certainly hope not, but this jeopardizes our ability to stay open when we lose this much food.

“Today was devastating to the loyal volunteers who work so hard to see that those in need are served,” he said.

With the significantly reduced amounts of items, Mounger said he is appealing to the public for help.

 

Items needed include:

• Jelly
• Peanut butter
• Canned tomatoes
• Canned tomato sauce
• Canned green beans
• Canned pork and beans
• Canned mixed vegetables
• Canned tuna in water
• Canned fruit
• Canned soup
• Canned meat (ex. Vienna Sausage)
• Canned meat meal (ex. Ravioli)
• Ramen Noodles
• Vegetable oil
• Jiffy cornbread mix
• Dried beans
• Saltine crackers
• Spaghetti sauce
• Spaghetti noodles
• Instant oatmeal (individual envelopes)
• Evaporated milk
• Macaroni and cheese mix
• Rice (bag)
• Grits (individual envelopes)
• Juice (individual and large plastic bottles)
• Sugar (small bags)
• Flour (small bags)
• Toilet paper
• Bar soap