A Nanaimo food bank has installed surveillance cameras and says it will have tighter security at its new warehouse after thieves stole thousands of dollars in fuel from delivery trucks.
The Loaves and Fishes Food Bank, which each month distributes food to 10,000 to 15,000 people from south of Nanaimo to as far north as Port Hardy and west to Tahsis and Zeballos, has been dealing with a rash of thefts of late.
It’s an ongoing issue, said executive director Peter Sinclair, noting that along with siphoning fuel from the tanks of delivery vehicles, thieves have targeted batteries and the store of empty recyclable bottles from its “empties for food” program.
But the fuel is the big one. Sinclair estimates it has cost the food bank thousands of dollars to replace this year, meaning less money to spend on food.
It also wreaks havoc on operations and scheduling, as drivers have had to deal with refuelling and, in one case, minor engine repair when the fuel from one vehicle was completely drained, leading to engine trouble.
“It’s just all this hassle that frankly we just don’t need,” he said, noting cash donations have also dropped significantly this year. Food donations, however, have remained steady due to a massive donation in January.
To address the fuel theft, Loaves and Fishes installed closed-circuit cameras, which had originally been ordered for its new $15-million warehouse at 1861 East Wellington Rd. that’s expected to open next spring.
“We put them on the roof of our current warehouse, and sure enough, we got hit,” Sinclair said.
The cameras captured images of a large black Dodge Ram truck fleeing the scene after an apparent fuel theft. “We reviewed the footage and we [said]: ‘Well, there’s the truck that did it.’ ”
The images were posted online, drawing the ire of many Nanaimo residents, some of whom suggested they knew the driver.
That information has been passed on to Nanaimo RCMP. Sinclair said the driver has been identified and police are continuing to investigate.
Nanaimo RCMP did not immediately respond to requests for comment on Wednesday.
Sinclair said demand for the food bank has grown at the same time as it’s having difficulty raising money.
Cash donations are down as much as 20%, which Sinclair said is likely due in part to everyone feeling the pinch of inflation.
Grocery stores are also getting better at ordering, so the food bank is recovering less unwanted food from the stores.
“We’re definitely seeing a lot more people. There are still some pretty staggering numbers, like over 10,000 people using the service,” he said.
Nanaimo Coun. Erin Hemmens said it’s likely some of the non-fuel-related theft the organization has been dealing with is connected to ongoing street disorder in the city.
Hemmens said that like most cities in Canada, Nanaimo is struggling to come to grip with the increase in street disorder.
“We’ve tried — we’ve created a whole community safety officer department in the city that is staffed by 12 and more coming. We’ve also hired more police, more fire, so we’re throwing resources at it.”
Without significant intervention from senior governments, however, those steps only go so far, she said.
“We have one of the highest unsheltered homeless rates in the province, which means that at night we don’t have nearly enough shelter beds for everyone, so we have a lot more people sleeping rough,” Hemmens said.
“And I think that leads to a desperation, and it leads to some predation on people who are kind of new to the streets.”
Hemmens said the city needs more housing, health services, treatment facilities, detox options, daytime drop-in spaces and for “people who are repeatedly committing crimes to stay in jail.”
Sinclair said the food bank’s security and fencing will be improved at the new warehouse location.
Construction of the 25,000-square-foot warehouse is due to be complete early next year, with occupancy expected by March.
The new building will include a reception area, offices, storage space for food, a pickup location and a sorting area for its recycling program.
“We definitely need the space,” Sinclair said.
“We currently have food in three different locations here, Nanaimo offices spread out in two different locations.
“We’re making it work, but we need a central place where it’s all consolidated into one.”
