Last month, someone broke into the Emmaus Mission food pantry and stole a large quantity of meat, along with money from a cash register.
Through the generosity of many donors, the mission center has recovered tenfold. As soon as news got out about the burglary, donations started pouring in, Emmaus executive director Jason Mitchell said.
Money to replace the stolen food came by mail and even personal delivery. While conducting business at the Post Office, an employee gave Mitchell $20 after hearing the story of how someone forced entry into a food pantry that supplies food for a 1,000 people a month.
Over the past couple of weeks, Mitchell heard words like “deplorable,” “horrific” and “unimaginable.”
Emmaus officials contacted Logansport police the morning of Aug. 13 to report the burglary. The break-in occurred sometime late the night before or early that morning.
No arrests have been made but Sgt. Rob Smith continues to follow leads. He said the public can assist in solving the case by reporting what they saw or heard about the burglary.
“If there is any help from the public, they can call Crime Stoppers,” Smith said.
While the food pantry did not close as a result of the break-in, the burglary prevented people from getting the protein important to their diet.
Mitchell said Emmaus has been blessed by the outpouring of support. He wants to make clear to the public, though, that the mission is no longer suffering from being the victim of a crime.
“I want people to know that we’re fine,” he said. “Everybody is hurting right now, and I don’t want them to feel like we’re still in trouble and they still have to give to us right now because of this burglary. We have definitely recovered our loss.”
Organizations conducted food drives for the pantry. Businesses donated. Individuals gave money and brought in canned goods.
“I would say we have had at least tenfold come in from what we lost,” Mitchell said.
Mitchell hopes those responsible for the crime realize the next time they are hungry, all they have to do is ask and the folks at Emmaus Mission will extend a helping hand, even after they stole food from the mouths of people in need the most.
“I believe God’s grace is infinite, and if we’re here to try and exemplify that and promote that message, we need to be forgiving,” Mitchell said.
Many people at the mission prayed for the culprit because some negative force in their life led them to burglarize a community food pantry, he said. Maybe they lost a job and cannot pay rent and/or utilities. Maybe they are a drug addict. The mission would not turn them away.
“If they were really that desperate, maybe there is something else we can help with,” Mitchell said.
Despite the offense, Mitchell refuses to judge those responsible for the burglary.
“All I can do is pray that things get better for them and that they don’t have to resort to this again,” he said. “That’s all I can do. I cannot judge them. That’s not my place.”
• Kevin Lilly is news editor of the Pharos-Tribune. He can be reached at 574-732-5117 or kevin.lilly@pharostribune.com.
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Related Photos
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STOCKED UP: Emmaus Mission employee Elaine Jones looks at the meat products stored at the food pantry at 1203 College St. Due to generosity from the community, the pantry has fully recovered from a burglary last month.
Discussion
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Emmaus Mission bounces back from burglary with public’s help
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