Thieves caught on camera stealing Calgary Food Bank donations

A Calgary business is on the lookout for two men who made off with cash donations meant for the less fortunate.

“We wanted to do something specifically for Christmas,” Nicole Dunai with the Sage Hill Bottle Depot said. “We went with the Calgary Food Bank because we thought it would be the most effective to help those in need.”

Dunai said that on Dec. 13, two men walked into the bottle depot and after lingering around the business for awhile, management became suspicious.

After Dunai took a look at the surveillance video she realized the employee tip jar had been stolen, and the person she believed to be responsible had also allegedly made off with the Calgary Food Bank’s donations box.

“Once we realized we tried to chase after them — but by the time we made it out the door, he was already in their getaway car,” Dunai said.

“It’s disheartening because we were really looking forward to giving that money to the food bank.”

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Around the holiday season, nearly 500 hampers from the Calgary Food Bank are handed out daily.

“A hamper means you’ve got that safety, you know you can seek other supports,” James McAra with the Calgary Food Bank said.

While McAra is disappointed thieves would target donations intended for those in need, he said he’s willing to turn the other cheek.

“My brain always goes, ‘How can we help you? Because we know that’s not what you want to do today.'”

Anyone with information on the theft is asked to call police or Crime Stoppers.