A would-be burglar attempted to break-in to the Westside Community Food Bank twice on the weekend leaving a door on the building damaged, Saturday, May 16, 2015.
Image Credit: Facebook/Lennetta Perry
May 17, 2015 - 10:39 AM
"ATTEMPTING TO BREAK INTO A FOOD BANK IS NOT COOL!"
WEST KELOWNA – An attempted break-in at the Westside Community Food Bank on the weekend has left staff and volunteers shaking their heads.
The Food Bank’s executive director Lenetta Perry says someone damaged a side door trying to get into the building twice Saturday night.
Perry says the alarm company called her about 8 p.m. and when she arrived West Kelowna RCMP were already on the scene, but no sign of a suspect.
“We worked with the RCMP to make sure the premise was secure, made sure all the window were OK and the other doors and made sure no entry had been made,” she says. “We secured the damaged door by putting a bunch of bolts into it.”
Perry says Sunday morning she returned to the Food Bank to find the would-be burglar had been back and damaged the door some more.
“It appears somebody is pretty determined to get into the Food Bank.”
While Perry admits they can’t make assumptions about the motive behind the attempted break-ins, she points out there are no valuables stored in the building. The only thing at the Food Bank is food and some office equipment. She says they don’t keep cash on the premise.
Perry says if somebody needed food, there’s an emergency supply of sandwiches, bread and muffins in a freezer at the side of the building and a phone number on the door for emergency help.
“It’s a little bit disappointing. It’s a little bit disheartening,” she says. “The team here works really hard for the community. It’s an unnecessary waste of time and resources.”
Perry admits in frustration she made a post on Facebook Saturday night. It didn’t pull any punches.
Already members of the community have already coming forward with offers to donate a new door and install it.
Staff and volunteers at the Food Bank will also be working with police to make the area around the targeted door more secure by adding lighting, she says.
Here is the post Westside Community Food Bank executive director Lenetta Perry made to Facebook on Saturday, May 16:
Dear attempted burglar,
Attempting to break into a food bank is not cool!
RCMP have been called. They will be patrolling very frequently. The door has been fixed from the inside. We are alarmed. Don't bother! Oh and if you need food, there's a freezer on the other side of building or call the emergency number I left on the door!!
I'm glad you did not make it in but you did leave behind blood that's likely to be processed. In the future can you please take into consideration that me and my team work long hours - seven days a week and maybe appreciate a girl’s one day off!
On a positive note, I will send shout out to the West Kelowna RCMP - very helpful. Thanks for being there! Peace and Love everyone.
To contact the reporter for this story, email Howard Alexander at halexander@infonews.ca or call 250-491-0331. To contact the editor, email mjones@infonews.ca or call 250-718-2724.
— This story was updated at 1:56 p.m., Sunday, May 17 to include more information from the Food Bank's executive director.
News from © iNFOnews, 2015