Hunter
03/21/23
Table to Table suffered a major blow to their food rescue operation when catalytic converters were stolen from two service vehicles.
According to the non-profit, the thefts occurred sometime last week between Thursday afternoon and Friday morning. Staff and volunteers arrived Friday to find two vehicles completely disabled because of the missing catalytic converters.
This pricey part has been the target of a nationwide rash of thefts. While this stolen part may get thieves only $50 to $300 at a scrapyard, Table to Table will have to pay thousands to repair and replace the parts, and then even more to protect these vehicles and the others from future catalytic converter theft.
Due to the thefts, the organization is currently operating without a quarter of their regular fleet, making it harder to capture all the food available as long as the vehicles are out of commission. Table to Table has seen increased demand since SNAP benefits were reduced last year, coupled with rising food prices.
Volunteers collect and redistribute 45,000 pounds of food each week in Johnson County with their small fleet of refrigerated cargo vans.
The group is calling on community support to get the vehicles back on the road and bring operations back up to full capacity. Costs estimated for the affected vehicles exceed $5,000, and estimates to protect their remaining vehicles is not yet known.
To donate, visit www.table2table.org/donation