Truck with $6,000 worth of donations stolen from charity group
BRIDGEPORT, Connecticut (WABC) -- A search is underway in Connecticut for a stolen box truck that was filled with more than $6,000 worth of donated items destined for families in need.
The theft resulted in a setback to a charity that is looking to provide coats for people in need ahead of winter.
Surveillance video shows two men enter in front of a commercial parking lot on Warren Street in Bridgeport early Monday morning.
Car theft is bad enough, but the truck was filled with donated clothing that a local father and son were going to give away to needy families.
Leneil Jones runs Save Our Babies, a charity his father started in 1985.
The non-profit has long provided services for Bridgeport teens, everything from job training and mentoring, to outings like a recent trip to a Jets game.
The group is in the process of organizing its first coat drive on November 6 and had secured $6,000 worth of goods donated by a local Walmart.
"To be able to get a coat and clothing for the children, without them having that extra expense, I think is a benefit for all," Lyle Hassan Jones said.
Organizers say while not everything they've collected was in the stolen truck, the theft has marred what had, up to now, been a successful collection drive.
They are hoping the truck and stolen items will somehow be recovered, and in the meantime, that generous members of the public will open their hearts to help fill the gap created by this senseless theft.
"We're back to square one, it's a lot of donations, but it's not the end of the world, we're going to hustle...keep reaching out to people at other organizations because we can't stop," Leneil Jones said.
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