Vandals destroy over $10K worth of Meals on Wheels food in Northern California

(FOX40.COM) — Over $10,000 worth of Meals on Wheels food was lost after vandals broke into a Northern California facility and cut power to the charity’s refrigeration system.

Meals on Wheels is a non-profit organization that delivers meals to senior citizens who may not have the mobility to pick up their own food. There are over 5,000 offices throughout the United States.

“For a week, we’ve been mourning the loss of an estimated $10,000+ worth of prepared frozen meals, perishable food inventory, and the labor required to clean-up and recover from this unanticipated incident,” Yolo County Meals on Wheels Executive Director Joy Cohan said in a statement on Monday.

Cohan said when food services staff arrived at the Meals on Wheels – Sutter Health Senior Nutrition Center in Winters on May 28, the Tuesday following a holiday weekend, the electrical power was off. Winters Police Department determined that vandals accessed the panel at the rear of the building and deliberately switched off the power 24-48 hours prior.

“Fortunately, no senior went without a meal thanks to our second kitchen facility in Woodland,” Cohan said. “However, 500 meals intended to advance our program over the past week, as well as raw ingredients to prepare another 2,100 meals, sadly were lost to the whims of a weekend prankster in Winters.”

MOW said the organization’s insurance is not covering 100% of the loss and asked donors for help with leftover expenses.

Cohan added, “Your support today assists MOW Yolo with this unplanned expense, ensures that no senior will be at risk of a missed meal, and restores faith in the community’s fortitude and compassion to come together in the face of malicious mischief.”