7 Food Charity Trucks Vandalized During Thanksgiving Weekend in Toronto

A Toronto-based charity says it is “outraged” after an act of vandalism and theft put seven of its trucks out of service over the Thanksgiving weekend.

Non-profit Second Harvest says intruders broke into its truck yard, damaged the exhaust systems on seven food rescue vehicles, and made off with the catalytic converters from each truck.

The incident has sidelined the seven trucks until the charity can replace the catalytic converters and damaged exhaust parts, the organization said in an emailed statement.

Second Harvest CEO Lori Nikkel said the repairs are expected to cost $80,000.

“That is money that should be going toward rescuing good food and feeding people in our city, not repairing damage caused by theft,” Nikkel said in the statement. “We are deeply disappointed and outraged that someone would target a charity working to feed people in need, especially over Thanksgiving weekend.”  

The charity, which describes itself as Canada’s largest food rescue operation, transports reclaimed food directly to more than 300 non-profit groups in Toronto so they can support households struggling to put food on the table. 

Nikkel described the charity’s delivery trucks as a “lifeline for our community.”

“With seven trucks off the road, those deliveries will be directly impacted at a time when the need for food support is already overwhelming,” she said.

Toronto police said a report has been filed on the incident. A spokesperson told The Epoch Times the investigation “remains ongoing, and there are currently no updates to provide.”

This is not the first time vandals have struck the Second Harvest fleet. The charity reported in January that four of its trucks were targeted on New Year’s Day. Water was found in the fuel of the vehicles, rendering two of them inoperable in the yard. The other two broke down on major highways, Second Harvest said.

The charity is now asking Torontonians to “rally around” the organization to help get the seven damaged trucks back on the road. It is also asking anyone with information about the incident to contact Toronto Police.

“Our team is doing everything we can to restore our fleet and keep food moving to the communities that depend on us,” Nikkel said. “We won’t let this stop us, but we need our community’s help.”