Volunteers were scrambling to get the ball rolling on Wednesday after the organization’s warehouse storing donations collected by the media food drive, La Grande Guignolée des médias Rive-Sud, was robbed the night before.
Shortly before midnight, 80-year-old Jean-Marie Girard got the call — someone had stolen boxes of goods meant for families in need.
“By the time that the security got here they had broken up so many bags of clothes and they made more of a mess than anything else,” said Marie-Claire MacLeod, spokesperson for la Grande Guignolée des médias de la Rive-Sud.
But after serving 19 years as president, Girard knew just what to do.
“Roll up our sleeves and keep going.”
The organization estimates between $4,000 and $10,000 worth of items were looted.
“They broke in the back door and they stole mostly pharmaceuticals, diapers, candy (etc.),” said MacLeod.
The stolen boxes were destined for local families with specific needs.
“Stealing … resources that actually are there to help the families who need during this period of time which is Christmas, it’s very weird to act like that,” said Longueuil police spokesperson Ghyslain Vallieres.
“We’re in the middle of a pandemic, people aren’t working. Some families need to eat,” said donor Jean-Yves Gariepy.
The Mayor of Longueuil also condemned the act on Facebook. The community is now stepping up help.
“I find it completely ridiculous that people would steal from here,” said Gariepy who came to donate when he heard the news.
“I hope the robbers take the stuff and put it where someone can see it and bring it back. ”
But the organization worried about what may have driven someone to do this.
“Are they hungry? Do they need food? Do they know where to get food?” said MacLeod.
Longueuil police are investigating the robbery and asking anyone who saw suspicious activity to contact them immediately.
“As for the motive, it’s really hard to understand except for the fact that they were looking to have a bunch of food and reach it rapidly,” said Vallieres.
Authorities said the items could potentially end up for sale on online marketplaces
“If somebody see(s) people trying to sell bunch of diapers or something like that, it could be related so if they saw something like that they could call 911,” said police.