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Toronto charity Second Harvest says it is disappointed and outraged after its yard was broken into and catalytic converters were stolen from its food rescue trucks early Sunday.
Chief Executive Officer Lori Nikkel told CBC Toronto in a statement that thieves cut through the exhaust systems of seven trucks. A photo shared by the charity showed a hole cut in the chain-link fence surrounding its Etobicoke yard.
“Our team is doing everything we can to restore our fleet and keep food moving to the communities that depend on us,” Nikkel said. “We won’t let this stop us.”
Second Harvest delivers rescued food to more than 300 non-profit organizations across the city, with the goal of helping those struggling to put food on the table, according to Sunday’s statement.
Speaking with CBC Toronto Sunday after the initial statement, Nikkel said the charity’s fleet supervisor was the first to come in and notice the truck exhausts were sitting on the ground.
“They were in and out in five minutes,” she said of the thieves. “They knew what they were doing.”
Catalytic converters contain valuable metals and can be quickly removed from a vehicle, making them an attractive target for thieves. (Chris Langenzarde/CBC)
“I’m disgusted,” Nikkel added. “I’m annoyed.”
Toronto Police Service Const. Masuma Akhter told CBC Toronto officers were called to Second Harvest shortly after noon and are investigating the incident.
Security camera footage shows two people approaching the trucks and using a saw underneath them.
Catalytic converters contain valuable metals and can be quickly removed from a vehicle, making them an attractive target for thieves.
“We recognize how expensive they are or how much money they can make,” Nikkel said.
Repairs, including replacing catalytic converters and damaged exhaust components on the trucks, will cost Second Harvest an estimated $80,000, she said.
“That is money that should be going toward rescuing good food and feeding people in our city, not repairing damage caused by theft,” she said. “Especially over Thanksgiving weekend.”
Seven of Second Harvest’s eight trucks are now out of service, Nikkel said.
“These trucks are a lifeline for our community,” she said. “With seven trucks off the road, those deliveries will be directly impacted at a time when the need for food support is already overwhelming.”
The seven trucks are now out of service, Chief Executive Officer Lori Nikkel said in Sunday’s statement. (Chris Langenzarde/CBC)
The charity is now planning to get rentals and extra security, Nikkel told CBC Toronto.
“That’s going to have a huge impact on us,” she said. “There’s a real big financial hit to us and we can’t afford it.”
Security cameras aren’t a sufficient deterrent and don’t help if people cover their faces, but hiring security would be too expensive, according to Nikkel.
“We’re thinking of different options. But even if we had like a service, they were in and out so quickly, they wouldn’t have been caught,” she said of the thieves.
Nikkel fears it will happen again.
“I don’t know why people want to target a charity, but this is actually the second time over a holiday,” Nikkel told CBC Toronto Sunday. “I think it was just an easy hit. They cut through the fence even though we put the fence up because of last time.”
In January, Second Harvest said four of its trucks were vandalized on New Year’s Day. Water was found in the fuel of the trucks, the charity said at the time.
Anyone with information is asked to contact police.