A break-in over the weekend at the Kids First Food Bank has left the charity with empty shelves and big repair bills.
At around 5 a.m. Saturday, thieves entered the building on Howard Avenue using a crowbar. They then made several trips from the food bank to their car, stealing maintenance equipment, tools, and a number of food items.
The food bank was fully stocked coming out of December and the busy holiday season. Thieves stole a number of items like school snacks, juice boxes, and cereal that families count on.
"We really do still have quite a bit of food but they took a lot of our key items. They took a lot of peanut butter, tuna fish, the protein things. They cleared out a lot of the meat in the freezer which is nice to be able to give families," said Executive Director Angela Yakonich.
The Kids First Food Bank serves around 900 people weekly. The charity hoped the food they had collected over the holidays would last them until the summer.
"I never thought someone would steal from a food bank," said Yakonich. "If they had just stolen food, I'd still be upset but would probably think that they really really needed it. But it's the fact that it was a lot of really expensive tools and the damage to the building that's really affecting us here. And you know we don't feel safe."
There was also damage to the interior and exterior doors and the outdoor light that will need to be repaired.
The Windsor Police Service has been notified and an investigation is underway.
The food bank closed Monday for the investigation. More surveillance video footage can be found on the Windsor Family Homes and Community Partnerships Facebook page.