RIESEL, Texas - Cornerstone Fellowship in Riesel is looking for answers after someone broke in and vandalized the center twice in just over a week.
300 pounds of meat was stolen and then another 300 pounds of meat was left to rot.
"Not only is this a pantry, but this is a church," says Cyd Collins, Cornerstone Fellowship Pastor.
Collins is trying to figure out who vandalized and stole from the food pantry.
"We help anybody and everybody in this community and other communities," Collins explains. "And we have never turned anybody away or would we ever turn anybody away."
When she came up to the church on the morning of October 21, she noticed someone pried open the backdoor, but didn't see anything missing.
"Until we went into the food pantry and we realized that one of the freezers was completely emptied out," Collins described.
About 300 to 400 pounds of meat was gone. The second time, it seems the burglar unlocked the front door but had to force the pantry door open.
"You can see where the door had been pried open. We walked into the food pantry and the heater was on and the freezer doors were open," Collins says. "All the meat was just ruined. And it was just a big, horrible mess."
Another 300-400 pounds of meat was gone.
Collins says she got all new locks after the first incident, and hasn't even handed out the keys yet.
"You know, I'm just kind of dumbfounded as to how they are getting in and to just why they would just ruin that because, you know, that would feed several hundreds of families," Collins says.
The food pantry usually feeds up to 150-200 families a month, which Collins says equals about 400-500 people a month.
"One of the unique things about our pantry is it's not just supported by our church, it's a community wide pantry," Collins says.
Collins did say they are looking into getting motion-sensor lights to make sure this doesn't happen again. She also is asking for donations and money to help replenish all 600 pounds of meat.
If you would like to donate, she asks to reach out to her.
If you would like to send a check, the address is: PO BOX 311, Riesel, Texas 76682 with "Food Pantry" in the Memo/Note field.
Riesel Police are continuing to investigate both break-ins. If you know anything about what happened or know who could have done it, you are urged to call Riesel Police.
