The catalytic converters were stolen from trucks belonging to a south suburban food pantry, Bolingbrook police said Friday.
Just after 6:30 a.m. on Friday, police responded to the 4 KIDS Sake Food Pantry and Enrichment Centre, located at 339 Remington Boulevard, for a report of two stolen catalytic converters.
Police said they have no leads on who could have committed the crime.
The food pantry stated that their box trucks were parked on the dock and in the front parking lot between 7 p.m. Thursday and 6 a.m. Friday, when the catalytic converters were turned off.
They stated that the incident may have an impact on future food distribution while they assess the cost of the damage.
The pantry serves more than 100 people.
“I founded this organisation when I was 17 with a heart to help people,” says Theresa Grzenia, founder and CEO of 4 KIDS Sake. “Doing all these things to help our community, for something like this to happen makes it really difficult to pick yourself back up by the bootstraps.”
The pantry stated that they are reviewing security footage to identify potential suspects, but they also asked for the public’s assistance in providing information about the thefts.
“We offer food recovery pick-ups Monday through Saturday. “It allows us to get the most fresh items for our customers,” Grzenia explained. “We have a backup truck that can provide us with a backup if something goes wrong or the truck needs to be repaired, for example. When he got to the other side of the building, he discovered that it had also been damaged.
Bolingbrook police reported a catalytic converter theft in the 200-block of Remington during the same time period.
“Just ask them why.” Why did they feel the need to do this? “I do not know,” volunteer Ed Danley replied.
These volunteers’ efforts to help their community will have to be put on hold for a few days as the non-profit charity that relies heavily on fundraising is forced into limbo.
“It is definitely disheartening.” We do not know if insurance will cover everything, what the timeline will be, and how long the rental trucks will be out.” Grzenia spoke.
