Thieves Steal 100 Bags Of Food From Salvation Army

Nearly 2,000 cans of food, stolen from the Salvation Army in Florence.

This theft comes at a time when the shelter is seeing its biggest demand.

Bag loads at a time, Salvation Army Major Don Wilson says thieves loaded up the shelter’s food surplus.  According to Major Wilson, nearly 120 bags of food got hauled out from the shelter’s storage facility.

“It’s really put a strain on us in a lot of ways and we don`t want to come up short,” said Major Wilson.

Major Wilson says it would normally take 3 weeks to gather all that food.  Salvation Army officials believe it took thieves just minutes to steal.

“We really feel this is a selfish act for some other reason than hunger for a family, especially for the volume that was there,” said Major Wilson.

Most of the cans came from a food drive with the postal service.  Major Wilson says the effects of this crime resonates through the community as the thieves stole from the shelter and from generous people, trying to help.

“You hate to think those things happen but a lot of time you just try to shrug it off and move forward, because if you think about it and dwell on it, it will discourage you,” said Major Wilson.

Now, the Salvation Army in Florence has a big burden.  Since their food supply dwindled dramatically,  Major Wilson worries about serving people really in need.

“We thought that we would be able to endure it but we`ve had a big increase in first time families coming to us for assistance,” said Major Wilson.  “The Lord will provide some way or another for us.”

If you would like to help replenish the Salvation Army’s supply, you can drop off food at their shelter at 1601 Huntsville Road in Florence.