Citizens interested in helping the Food Bank can donate food at any state police troop throughout the state until July 21. The food drive for nonperishable food items begins Monday.
Police came up with the drive after 57,000 pounds of chicken were spoiled because the trailers were stolen in late June. The frozen chicken would have been used to feed needy Delawareans.
Col. Thomas MacLeish says he hopes Delawareans will join with state police to help those in need after a tragedy.
The trucks were stolen in June, containing about 57,000 pounds of frozen chicken that was donated by the Perdue chicken company.
Police found the trucks in Jersey City, New Jersey. They were running and the food was still inside.
Dark, grainy surveillance video from the Food Bank of Delaware's facility in Newark, Delaware is in the hands of police who have been using to try to find the suspects.
Patricia Beebe of the Food Bank of Delaware tells Action News, "We have a decrease in funding. We have theft. We're paying more for food. We have a decreased amount of donated product and we have demand going up… gas is through the roof."
The food bank distributes 10 million pounds of food to Delaware's poor each year. Thousands of prepared meals are designated each month for children in after school hunger relief programs and to cooperating agencies in the summertime.
Delaware State Police Corporal Jeff Whitmarsh says, "It's obviously a person who knows how to operate this type of equipment. Not only that, but the other trailer that was stolen was not attached. So has to be someone who not only can drive a rig, but knows how to hook it up to an additional trailer."
The agency is now in desperate need of donations. If you like to contribute, call (302) 292-1305.
