Laptops and cash were stolen from foodbank just weeks before Christmas.
On Sunday, November 27, the food bank at the Victoria Centre on Sussex Road, Southport, was broken into. CEO of Compassion Acts charity, Richard Owens who runs the foodbank estimates that the break-in resulted in £2,000 worth of damage.
Richard said staff felt like it was a "violation of all the hard work" that they are doing and the money taken could have gone into "vital" services the foodbank provides.
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Speaking to the ECHO he said: "I was called out on Sunday and they had caused damage to the ceiling to try and get in. All the draws had been riffled through with two laptops stolen. Thankfully, the food was not taken.
"It was disappointing but we understand how desperate people get but there is no excuse for causing the damage. People are desperate at the moment and we don't want people to resort to breaking into places."
The former Victoria Methodist Church premises has been rented by the Compassion Acts charity, which runs services including Southport Food Bank, for the last 18 months. The church acts as a base of operations for the charity's staff and 180 volunteers are trained from the location.
Richard said: "It is money that we could be allocated to other things. For example, our Winter Warmers scheme distributes warm clothes to people in the cost of living crisis.
"Luckily no personal information was taken from the laptops and the police have been very supportive. We are aware now that food is becoming more and more valuable so we need to take extra security measures. Our services are being used by a growing group of people. Sadly, we are needed and it is a vital service for people."
A spokesperson for Merseyside Police said: "We can confirm we have arrested a man following a burglary at a church in Southport. On Sunday 27 November, we received a report at around 2pm that Victoria Methodist Church, on Sussex Road, had been broken into while it was closed overnight.
"During the break-in, a laptop, computer, perfume and cash were stolen. We have arrested a 43-year-old man from Southport on suspicion of burglary and he has been released on conditional bail pending further enquiries. If anyone has any information about burglaries, they are asked to contact our social media desk @MerPolCC on Twitter or ‘Merseyside Police Contact Centre on Facebook."
Anyone who would like to find out more about Compassions Act UK, more information can be found here.
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