A food bank run by a church in Swansea which helps nearly 200 people has been broken into and all the food stolen. Baby toys, an orange bike for teenagers and soft drinks for a tuck shop were also taken. All the items were being stored in the hall next to St Thomas Church, St Thomas, Swansea.
Vicar Steve Bunting said the culprit or culprits gained entry overnight to the hall on Saturday, June 3 via a fire exit. He estimated they were in the building for around 30 minutes, given the quantity of stock taken. Doors to side rooms had been opened. Some of the food was packed in bags ready to be handed to families on Monday morning. A larger quantity wasn't bagged.
The Reverend Bunting said: "I think the likelihood is that it was someone who has previously used us, which makes it all the sadder. If someone had come in and said, 'I'm absolutely desperate, I need £20,' it would have been easier for us to give it to them." The resale value of the stolen stock, he said, was negligible. "Someone has got to be desperate to think a food bank is the best thing to steal from," he said. "It deprived people a week's worth of food. We had to turn people away, which is not a very nice feeling."
