Second Harvest CEO ‘so grateful’ as donations pour in after weekend theft

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A local company has stepped up with a belated Thanksgiving donation after a debilitating weekend theft that targeted delivery vehicles belonging to the Second Harvest food rescue organization.

“I have tears in my eyes,” Second Harvest chief executive Lori Nikkel said on Wednesday morning. “This is what a great city looks like.”

Aurora Importing and Distribution made a $60,000 donation to help pay for the damage done to seven of the organization’s eight delivery trucks during an early morning Thanksgiving Sunday break-in and theft.

“Every one of these trucks is a lifeline. When they stop, food stops,” Nikkel said. “Joe Moscato and the team at Aurora didn’t wait to be asked. Within days of the theft, they called and said, ‘What do you need to get moving again?’ That’s what this city looks like at its best and it means thousands of meals get where they’re supposed to go this month instead of being lost.”

Moscato, the president of Aurora Importing and Distribution, said the company “wanted to do our part, ensuring that these trucks are on the road as quickly as possible so that the good people at Second Harvest can continue to do the fantastic job that they do day in and day out.”

Thieves targeted trucks’ catalytic converter

The donation came three days after two hooded individuals broke into the Second Harvest facility on The East Mall in Etobicoke before cutting into the vehicles’ exhaust systems and stealing the catalytic converter. Their fence was also damaged.

Second Harvest is Canada’s largest food rescue organization. Its trucks collect surplus food from grocers, producers and distributors and deliver it to more than 500 charities across Toronto.

Nikkel said she was overcome with the generosity Toronto residents displayed when news of the theft made the rounds on social media.

“You guys have come out in droves, offered us transportation, trucks, even your own cars when you could,” she said. “We cannot tell you how grateful we are because now we can get those trucks back on the road quicker.”

Moscato said they were “proud to do our part” and called on “every business in this city that can help to do the same.

“Second Harvest does the work nobody sees every single day for people who are having a hard time,” Moscato said. “When we heard what happened, there wasn’t much of a decision to make: You fix the trucks.”

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Generosity know no bounds

Even in the darkest hours after the incident, Nikkel said a light was shining brightly.

“I believe this is a great city and there are great people in this city and they showed up and I’m so grateful that they did,” Nikkel said. “We were scrambling like crazy, so really all this goes to the community and the team at Second Harvest, just amazing.”

In the meantime, Nikkel said the focus is now on repairing the vehicles and getting food deliveries underway again. She estimated that the repair bill will be in the $70,000 to $80,000 range for the trucks alone.

The organization hopes to be fully operational again by the end of the month or in early November.

“They haven’t actually done the investigation to see how bad the damage is,” Nikkel said of the repairs. “We anticipate between two to three weeks. Fingers crossed, but we don’t actually know yet.”

Second Harvest continues to accept donations toward the full cost of repairs and fleet security at secondharvest.ca.

ganderson@postmedia.com

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