Mountlake Terrace food bank burglarized twice in one week

MOUNTLAKE TERRACE — Workers at Concern for Neighbors Food Bank grappled with two burglary cases in less than a week.

On Feb. 27, a security video showed a suspect barging into a locked van and then stealing the vehicle.

As KIRO 7 produced this story, food bank workers located the stolen van a mile away. The vehicle’s license plates were missing, and a side logo had been covered over with paint.

Food bank workers said they found the stolen van in the nick of time because the demand for their help has spiked 25% during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Throughout it all, they said their van was the go-to thing to help deliver groceries to struggling families.

“That van has to be running all the time, every day,” said Mike Begeman, director of Concern for Neighbors Food Bank.

A few days before this case, a burglar broke into the food bank’s building, stealing hundreds of dollars’ worth of items.

Workers said they were still coming to terms with that crime. Then they faced another major setback when their van was stolen.

“As long as we have the food, and there is a need, we’re gonna be doing what we do here,” Begenman said.

The burglaries at Concern for Neighbors Food Bank come as one study found that 40% of small businesses have seen a surge in thefts since the pandemic began, with food providers hit the worst.

As a result, Begemen said he worries that he could be burglarized a third time, especially because those responsible for the first two burglaries have not been found.

“We’re certainly taking some body blows, but we’re not on the canvas yet,” he said.

Cox Media Group