Toronto food charity receives $60K donation after trucks vandalized

Just days after Canada’s largest food rescue organization said seven of its trucks were vandalized in its Toronto yard, a private food company has donated thousands to get repairs underway.

Second Harvest CEO Lori Nikkel announced Wednesday that Aurora Importing had donated $60,000.

“Aurora Importing is a proud Canadian company,” Joe Moscato, president of Aurora Importing, said at the announcement. “We believe our responsibility goes beyond getting food product onto grocery store shelves. It’s also about giving back to our communities and those in need.”

On Sunday, Nikkel said suspects broke into Second Harvest’s Toronto truck yard and cut the catalytic converters out of seven of its trucks.

Second Harvest works with business across the supply chain to redirect unsold food to non-profit organizations that feed communities across Canada. The incident happened as the organization was preparing for its Thanksgiving turkey giveaway.

Nikkel said all seven trucks were rendered out of service.

The organization said it had two trucks that were able to be out on the roads Sunday but was concerned about how it would keep up with demand over the course of the week.

“With seven trucks off the road, those deliveries will be directly impacted at a time when the need for food support is already overwhelming,” Nikkel said Sunday.

The CEO said she believes the suspects cut a hole through the fence to access the truck yard. That fence was installed after water was put into the tanks of the organization’s fleet on New Year’s Eve.

“We put up a fence so that we could deter that from happening again,” she said. “But this felt like a far more organized crime than that one.”

Nikkel said she estimated the repairs would cost $80,000.

Following the announcement of the donation, Nikkel said she was grateful for the Toronto community that stepped up when her organization was in need.

“It can feel pretty hopeless, especially when something like this happens,” she said. “And right away, we were filled with hope about the amazing people that are in Toronto that came out with their trucks, with money, with food.”

Nikkel said she estimates the repairs will take two to three weeks.

In an update Wednesday, Toronto police said it was looking for one or more suspects as part of the investigation.

Police released images of a black Infiniti G25 four-door sedan with black rims that they say the suspects fled the scene in.

Anyone with information is asked to contact police.