An Albuquerque nonprofit organization with a mission of helping people is afraid it won't be able to meet the need after it fell victim to thieves on Halloween.
Both a box truck and the warehouse belonging to Lutheran Family Services, a faith-based nonprofit human service agency that helps children and families, were broken into and thousands of dollars in cold weather gear was stolen, KOB4 reported.
"Several thousand dollars in just winter jackets, coats, hats and gloves," Farid Sharisi, Lutheran Family Services program director, told KOB4. "It's really devastating, especially at this time when the weather is coming in."
Among the stolen items were jackets and other necessities that were going to be donated to refugee families, according to KOB4. The nonprofit is using emergency money to try to replace everything that was taken, but it is in need of the community's support to help get back to where they were so that less fortunate people will be able to keep warm.
KOB4 reported that the organization is the only one in the state licensed to resettle refugees. Shares added the list of requests from these families needing help gets larger each passing day.
Lutheran Family Services is accepting new and unused winter supplies, or gift cards to stores where the gear can be purchased. Donations can be dropped off at the nonprofits offices at Truman Street NE in Albuquerque. Sharisi told KOB4 the crime "couldn't happen at a worse time, but the community always comes together time and time again."