Inter-Faith Food Shuttle Devastated By Meter Theft
“The biggest crime to me is what happens to the people we feed.”
–Jill Bullard, executive director of the Inter-faith Food Shuttle
A thoughtless crime has left the Inter-Faith Food Shuttle in Raleigh with the loss of about one-third of its food supply. Someone stole an electric meter off the building on Sunday, killing power to two freezers and a walk-in refrigerator and thus destroying enough food to feed about 3,000 people. The Inter-Faith Food Shuttle now needs the public’s help to replenish the supply.
CBC VP of Community Relations Paul Pope presented CBC’s donation to IFS Board Chair Becky Christian. |
Help the Inter-Faith Food Shuttle recover from this loss with a financial donation. To contribute, call
250-0043
or send a check to
Inter-Faith Food Shuttle
216 Lord Anson Dr.
Raleigh, NC 27620 |
The Inter-Faith Food Shuttle collects leftover food from restaurants and other businesses and redistributes it to those in need. |
“It was a major loss,” said IFS Executive Director Jill Bullard. “People are in desperate need.”
The older adults in the Chavis Heights neighborhood were expecting to receive their monthly delivery of 55 bags of groceries on Tuesday. Those deliveries did not come due to the loss.
Progress Energy stepped up to the plate and gave the organization a check for $25,000 on Tuesday afternoon, July 8, 2003. CP&L Vice President Hilda Pinnix-Ragland stopped by to make the presentation along with two linemen Jason Parker and Joe Briones actually replaced the stolen meter and put locks on the apparatus to try to thwart would-be thieves.
Wake Med Senior VP & IFS Board Chair Becky Christian thanks Progress Energy Linemen Jason Parker (left) & Joe Briones for their company’s generous donation. |
WRAL-TV Cameraman Ken Bodine (right) covered the event for the station as Progress Energy Northern Region VP Hilda Pinnix-Ragland (l to r) and crew linemen Jason Parker & Joe Briones presented a $25,000 check to the IFS Board Chair Becky Christian. |
Progress Energy reports that people who try to use the meters to reactivate their own disrupted service are usually the culprits in such cases. However, every meter has an identification number and all in service are read, so the meters are usually recovered. 2,000 were stolen last year in the Carolinas.
Capitol Broadcasting Company stepped up to the plate as well, making a donation and encouraging others to do the same. CBC Vice President of Community Relations Paul Pope serves on the Board of the Inter-Faith Food Shuttle and helped coordinate the donations.
The Inter-Faith Food Shuttle needs more donations to help replenish the lost supply. If you would like to contribute, call 250-0043 or send a check made out to the Inter-Faith Food Shuttle to their address at 216 Lord Anson Drive, Raleigh, NC 27620.
