For the third time in less than a year, a thief has targeted the Volunteers of America Western Washington (VOA) Sky Valley Services Center in Sultan, this time driving away in a delivery truck vital to food bank operations.
The truck, a white 2003 Ford E350 cutaway-style box truck, was driven out of a secured parking area the VOA shares with the Sultan Public Works Department sometime during the early morning hours on Wednesday, June 22. VOA Director Calei Vaughn was shopping at the Cash and Carry in Everett at around 9 a.m. that morning, when she received a call from her food bank manager asking if she had taken the food bank's laptop computer, which was also missing.
"I said, "No,' and he said, "Well, I suppose you don't have the truck then either,' GÇ¥ Vaughn said. "And I said, "No.' GÇ¥
The white box truck is vividly festooned with the red and blue Volunteers of America logo, plus the phrases, "Sultan Food Bank,GÇ¥ "Serving Upper Sky Valley,GÇ¥ and the VOA phone number.
"It's like a mobile, rolling billboard,GÇ¥ Vaughn said. "It says VOA all over it.GÇ¥
It is unclear how the thief accessed the food bank; there were no signs of forced entry. Once inside, it appears the thief grabbed the laptop and the keys to the vehicle, accessed the yard where the vehicle was kept and drove out through a sensor-operated gate triggered to open by the weight of the truck.
The Snohomish County Sheriff's Office is investigating the incident.
Murky surveillance footage from around 3:45 a.m. shows an intruder walking across the property outside the food bank at 703 First St., in Sultan. It's unclear whether the shadowy figure is a man or woman.
The theft comes on the heels of two separate burglary incidents at the VOA. A thief cut wires and stole a battery and a catalytic converter from VOA vehicles in the parking lot last November. On March 25, somebody broke into the food bank, stealing food items and keys to the two food bank vehicles, a van and the box truck.
As a result, the VOA had the locks changed and the vehicle ignitions rekeyed.
The heavily-used box truck was driven five days a week by volunteers picking up food from grocery stores around the region, including Woodinville, Bothell, Lynwood and Snohomish. Collected food is then distributed by the VOA Sultan food bank, which serves families living within the Sultan School District, including Sultan, Startup and Gold Bar.
Having a truck to bring in the food is critical.
"It's something we just can't be without,GÇ¥ Vaughn said. "It's going to be really hard to figure out how we're going to keep the food coming in without a truck.GÇ¥
The truck had high mileage and was getting a bit worse for the wear, Vaughn said. Since the nonprofit doesn't have the resources available to purchase a new truck, it had begun exploring lease options. Now that the truck is gone, the VOA is left with an urgent need and no funds to address it.
"We just don't have any time to gather financial resources,GÇ¥ Vaughn said.
Once the theft was announced on social media, offers for help flooded in from the Sky Valley community and beyond. Sky Valley Food Bank Director Neil Watkins offered transportation support, as did Skykomish Mayor Tony Grider. An Everett couple donated a laptop, while many offers came in from residents with trucks volunteering to help with food pickups.
Local volunteer Jeff Aikens is donating a new four-camera video surveillance system, with the ability to capture high-resolution images at night.
The system will feature built-in capacity for four additional cameras to accommodate future VOA needs.
The VOA is seeking a volunteer with security experience to install the new system, which has been ordered and is expected to arrive before the end of the month.
Vaughn said she is beyond grateful for all the support.
"This is really how we pull together as a community, and community doesn't always mean the city in which you live,GÇ¥ Vaughn said. "We're a community that tries to feed hungry people.GÇ¥
Logistically, it's challenging to coordinate the food pickups, Vaughn said, since the morning pickups take place Monday through Friday, when most people are at work. And since it's summertime, she said, people are understandably busy with summer sports and vacations. It's going to take help from outside the VOA's local volunteer base, Vaughn said, including volunteers willing to pick up food in Everett and drop it off in Sultan. She is hoping to dedicate her Sky Valley volunteers for pickups in Monroe, and is working to develop a system that provides uninterrupted coverage.
"We're really trying to figure out what that's going to look like,GÇ¥ Vaughn said. "Any support we can get right now we'll be so grateful for.GÇ¥
The most important thing they need right now, in addition to volunteers, Vaughn said, is money.
"This community is so generous,GÇ¥ Vaughn said. "They have been so supportive of us in the past, and I'm sure they will continue to be in the future.GÇ¥
Donations can be dropped off at the Sultan VOA or made through the VOA website at www.voaww.org. Online donors wanting to support the Sultan Food Bank should select "VOA Sultan Food BankGÇ¥ on the "Gift DesignationGÇ¥ area of the donation page. Volunteer application forms are available on the website or can be picked up at the Sultan VOA.
For more information on how to help, contact the VOA at 360-793-2400.
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