Eugene (KMTR) - An agency that helps folks down on their luck finds itself the victim of a burglary.
Someone broke into St. Vincent DePaul’s Lindholm Center on highway 99N in Eugene over the weekend.
Employees discovered the burglary Monday morning, when they arrived for work.
The thief or thieves caused quite a bit of damage to several doors and door jams while trying to get in. Inside, some checks were taken along with some office equipment, including a laptop.
Terry McDonald, St. Vincent DePaul’s executive director calls, the crime "disheartening."
"People have different needs at different times. God help the person who did it, because they obviously had some stress in their life," McDonald said.
The damage is estimated at a few thousand dollars.
Coincidentally, the thief broke in through a door in the garage, where the agency stored all if its supplies for its annual holiday food box giveaway on Monday. Fortunately, none of the food was taken.
The need is greater this year and more people than usual turned out for the food distribution.
Volunteers, including the Northwest Christian University basketball team handed out about 3,000 food boxes. This year, they distributed food at two locations to help ease traffic congestion and make the distribution more personal.
Assistant NCU basketball coach Jordan Whittenburg said, “You take a lot of stuff for granted. And seeing people's reactions—just how happy they are to have just basic dinner—it’s nice to give back a little bit."
St. Vincent DePaul says the need for all its services has been at a higher level since July.
