Laurie Ballard of Grand Falls-Windsor Community Kitchen hopes those responsible for stealing food from her storage facility will be brought to justice. (Troy Turner/CBC)
Volunteers at the Grand Falls-Windsor Community Kitchen are depressed after food was stolen from their storage facility not once but twice this week.
“We're not about hurting people, we're not about doing anything bad. We're about giving back and we don't care who it is. We’re going to help them if we can, and that’s what hurts the most,” says the Kitchen executive. Directed by Laurie Ballard.
Thieves broke into the kitchen at St Albans Anglican Church for the second night in a row and stole food meant for the elderly and needy. The first break-in by the pair occurred around 4:45 a.m. Monday. The second time he was 24 hours later and included an additional person.
A large amount of items were removed, including frozen turkeys, and the damage to the church is expected to cost between $3,000 and $4,000 to repair.
St. Albans Anglican Church is located on a quiet street in Grand Falls-Windsor. (Troy Turner/CBC)
I was shocked to learn about the robbery on Monday morning.
“Everyone went quiet,” Ballard said.
“It was a shock to the system in the first place for someone to come into the church and steal the elders' food and things like that. I think they had parents, and they still have the elders' parents. And it was right. there is no.”
Volunteers reviewed surveillance video of the robbery and found that the assailants left the property just minutes before Community Kitchen volunteers showed up.
“It took the lives of all of us and stuck the knife where it hurt,” Ballard said. “It's going to take a while to get back to the point where you can come into the building in the morning and feel safe knowing your stuff is there when you come back.”
She has a message for those in charge.
“This is a story about a bunch of guys, young and old, who are not going to find their own jobs, get their own lives, and clean themselves up,” Ballard said.
“I'm so angry that this incident has turned our city into what it is. Everyone is getting robbed all over Grand Falls-Windsor.”
The Rev. Robin Trevors is an Anglican minister in Grand Falls-Windsor. He is disturbed by the recent theft and vandalism at St. Alban's Anglican Church. (Troy Turner/CBC)
The Rev. Robin Trevors has served as an Episcopal minister in Grand Falls-Windsor for the past six years.
“I wasn't expecting it,” he said. “We had a joint service with three congregations the day before, and it was a really beautiful service, and then we woke up Monday morning and there was a trespass, and we had to take action from your church, your volunteers, and your church organization. It was missing something. It was a community kitchen. It was really shocking to wake up that morning and see it.”
The church will not keep money inside, but it plans to install a new security system and has already upgraded its door locks.
“It's very sad that people think it's appropriate to break into a church and steal,” Trevors said.
“Hopefully, with all the security systems we're going to have to put in place and all the different locks and deadbolts and all that stuff, we're going to be secure enough and slowed down enough.” Somebody looks at them and says, I wish we could bring people to justice. ”
RCMP did not make anyone available for interview regarding the incident. In a prepared release, it said the investigation is ongoing.
download Free CBC News app Sign up for push alerts from CBC Newfoundland and Labrador. Click here to access the landing page.
