Thieves strike Sky Valley Services Center, steal food, keys

For the third time in a year, thieves struck at the Volunteers of America (VOA) Sky Valley Services Center, this time costing the nonprofit around $2,000 in new locks and other security measures.

The weekend burglary took place sometime after the food bank closed on Friday, March 25, and was discovered by VOA Director Calei Vaughn and staff on Monday, March 28. There was no sign of forced entry, leading VOA staff and deputies with the Snohomish County Sheriff's Office to believe the perpetrator(s) possessed a key. In addition to food, they stole the keys for two VOA vehicles, but no vehicles were taken.

As a result, the VOA had to replace the locks on all the doors and install new ignitions and door locks in both VOA vehicles. Vaughn said the expense was significant.

"We're a struggling food bank,GÇ¥ she said. "We don't have an extra $2,000.GÇ¥

The VOA is a nonprofit organization dedicated to serving individuals and families in need. They focus on hunger prevention, behavioral health, resources for the homeless, dispute resolution and child and youth services. The VOA Sultan Food Bank ' open 5-7 p.m. Tuesdays and 9:30 a.m. to noon on Fridays 'is available to families up to three times per month.

Vaughn said if they needed food that bad, all they had to do was call and ask. Even if they'd already used the food bank three times that month, the VOA would have gladly helped them, she said.

"At any point, any one of the three of us that work here would have went over there and said, "Get what you need GÇô feed your family,'GÇ¥ Vaughn said. "We're a charity. We're here to help people.GÇ¥

This is the second time the food bank has been hit in the past year, Vaughn said. Kids were believed to be the culprits the first time, as candy seemed to be their primary target.

And then last November thieves vandalized the food bank vans, stealing a catalytic converter and causing around $1,300 in damage.

In addition to operating the food bank, the VOA battles food insecurity with its weekly backpack program, which distributes 40 backpacks filled with food to kids in the Sultan School District to take home on the weekends. Unplanned expenses due to theft and vandalism negatively impact these critical programs, Vaughn said.

"When we come up with expenses like this, what it does is take away the money we can spend on backpack foods,GÇ¥ Vaughn said.

She said VOA owes a debt of gratitude to Elite Lock & Safe of Monroe for doing everything it could to keep the costs down.-á

"It could have been a lot more than it was,GÇ¥ Vaughn said.

For more information on the VOA, visit www.voaww.org/previewskyvalley.