TUCSON: How cold blooded is this?
Thieves stole a stockpile of food meant for homeless teenagers who were doing their best to stay in school and get ahead.
You may not be aware of the problems of homeless teens but Youth on Their Own is. The organization helps them get ahead in school and get ahead in life despite all their challenges. Part of that help comes in the form of food but someone was so cold blooded they took the food supplies that could have held the kids for months.
The empty shelves in a storage container held food, help and hope for teens scraping by without a home.
Youth On Their Own CEO Nicola Hartmann says "It's so sad. We think, OK, maybe someone's hungry and they will take a little bit of cereal or something, but to come in here, they took tote-fulls full of food. It's just very saddening, really."
The thieves came prepared to cart off eight hundred pounds of food, worth maybe two thousand dollars.
Hartmann says, “Our students are homeless. They come to us every week. They can get up to 10 pounds of food and so that is the cereal they have in the morning, some milk, canned ravioli, fruits and beans, pinto beans and all those kind of things."
Youth on Their Own had the food in a storage container because the usual indoor storage spots are under renovation.
Now the group may have to cut back the food it gives out, while it hopes the community generous enough to donate the food in the first place can step up again to replace what thieves took away.
If you’d like to help, here’s how to reach Youth on Their Own:
Youth On Their Own Offices
1660 N. Alvernon Way – Tucson, Arizona 85712
Phone: 866.496.8612
Hours: Monday – Friday, 9AM – 5PM
