Cheektowaga, N.Y. (WBEN) - A local food pantry is feeling the sting of a string of repeat truck part thefts off one of their food delivery trucks.
The Resurrection Life Food Pantry was dismayed to find two catalytic converters stolen overnight off their trucks and sadly, this is not the first time.
"Resurrection Life Food Pantry has had, for the second time now in about five years, our catalytic converters in our truck stolen overnight," said Kim Reynolds, Pantry Director.
The pantry's delivery truck, which they belovedly call Samson for the truck's might and strength, helps deliver over 1 million pounds of donated food a year and helps bring groceries to about 200 low-income seniors a month who don't have the ability to come to the pantry.
This theft causes the truck to be inactive for the time being and additional resources have to be brought in, hindering the smooth operations of one of the largest pantries in Western New York.
"The impact is is widespread," says Reynolds.
"All across Western New York we serve. Whether it's chronically homeless veterans, seniors that are homebound and can't get to us are just families that are struggling to make ends meet. As one of the largest food pantries in Western New York, it really just puts us at a halt in many of the things we do. For instance, we can't get out to pick up those donations. And then tomorrow night, we have over 200 seniors that will be receiving groceries for us, we will make sure they get their groceries without fail. We won't have Samsung to use it. So we'll be using a whole fleet of pickup trucks to deliver those groceries to our seniors tomorrow."
Why would someone take the catalytic converters off the trucks? Simply put, catalytic converters on big trucks fetch a pretty penny these days, even if you were to scrap them.
"Catalytic converters, they have a nice price tag to them, and somebody could get them and sell them," said Reynolds.
Luckily for the pantry, the truck has cameras on the vehicle. They handed over the footage promptly to the Cheektowaga Police Department.
"This has happened in the past, we made sure that she's always close to the road, and always has a camera on her. So the Cheektowaga Police will be taking that footage and I'm assuming they'll start their investigation."
Converters will soon be on the trucks again do in part to the pantry's partnership with Rusiniak's Service on Union Rd, who are special ordering these converters so the truck may operate.