ORLANDO, Fla. – An Orlando nonprofit is asking for the community’s help after surveillance footage captured someone stealing donated items meant to help those in need.
Maggie St. Jean with the Daily Bread Distribution Center said security cameras recorded a man stealing several bags of dog food on Monday evening while volunteers were distributing donations in front of the building.
“He sees we are working up front,” St. Jean said. “He drives over here, gets off the van, hops on the trailer, and then loads eight bags of dog food. And he drives off.”
The stolen dog food was going to be given to the Orange County animal shelter.
“That food was meant to be donated to the animal shelter,” St. Jean said. “He stole not just from us. He also stole from them.”
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This isn’t the first time the Daily Bread Distribution Center has been targeted. On Nov. 2, St. Jean said someone broke into a locked trailer and stole 80 donated bicycles.
“It’s like we’re being targeted because they know we are helping the community,” St. Jean said. “It’s like they know where we are storing our stuff. That’s making us a target while we are helping such a vast variety of people.”
Although no law enforcement report has been filed yet, St. Jean hopes the community can help identify those responsible.
“I thought the best thing to do was to let the community help us,” St. Jean said. “Because who is better to help us than the ones we are helping? That’s why I posted it on social media.”
St. Jean says she is devastated by the thefts, but remains committed to continuing the nonprofit’s work.
If you’d like to donate to the Daily Bread Distribution Center, you can do so via the group’s website here.
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