BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KERO) — Eleven.
That's the number of minutes it took for security to respond to a recent break-in alert at the Community Action Partnership of Kern Food Bank in East Bakersfield. However, by the time they arrived, it was already too late.
Eleven is also the number of catalytic converters that have been stolen from CAP-K vehicles over the past month.
"It's a gutpunch, you know?" said CAP-K Food Bank Administrator Kelly Lowery. "When you come to work every day trying to do something good for the community and then you have to deal with some of these types of things, it adds another layer of challenge."
After 2 break-ins in one month ended with 11 catalytic converters getting stolen, 7 of CAP-K's vehicles have been put out of commission.
"The evidence that was found following the people being on site was such that they used a saw to quickly saw them off. They were in and out in around ten minutes," said Lowery.
The estimated cost of getting the trucks fixed is around $20,000. That money represents about 16,500 meals that CAP-K could be providing.
Blaine Hodge, the agency relations supervisor for the CAP-K Food Bank, says they believe the break-ins are the result of people finding vulnerabilities in the nonprofit's fence. However, he says regardless of the thieves' methodology, the end result is less help getting to those who need it most.
"It really limits how much food we are able to get out," said Hodge. "There are a lot of day-to-day food access point distributions that take place that aren't able to get food because we have the manpower, but we lack the logistical capability to do so."
Lowery agrees.
"Instead of doing the day-to-day work looking at how we can address food insecurity in all the various cities across Kern County, we have to take time away from that to talk about facility security and getting the trucks fixed," said Lowery.
Risk Management Supervisor Laurie Sproule says the center is susceptible to thefts because it's in an isolated location that has little light at night.
CAP-K employees say they are upset, mostly because the thefts prevent them from completing their mission to provide food to those in need.
"It is a little frustrating. I'm not going to act like it isn't," said Hodge. "But we got a job to do, we are going to do it rain, sleet, snow, catalytic converters or not. We are going to do the job that needs to be done for the people. If you are frustrated about this, come down and volunteer. We do monthly volunteer things. You can reroute it to just something so much more positive."
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