Does It Get Any Worse? 57,000 Lbs. of Chicken Stolen from Food Bank
I’ve heard of hot TV’s “falling off of the back of trucks”, but never frozen chickens. Over this past weekend, someone stole 57,000 lbs of frozen chicken (and two tractor trailer rigs) from the Food Bank of Delaware. Does it get any lower than that?
In one of my previous life incarnations, I managed the logistics operations at an inner city food bank. I’ve written about hunger issues on ASZ many, many times, and yes, it’s personal to me. So when this story came to my attention (from a former associate), it bothered me on a whole lot of levels, because I frequently dealt with the food bank that’s involved in the story…
Perdue Chicken is one of the major employers and food producers on the DelMarVa peninsula, and they donate excess product to the Food Bank of Delaware. In turn, FBD either distributes the frozen chickens to the needy in Delaware, or swaps the chicken with other area food banks for other product that’s more needed. Last week, Purdue donated two trailer loads of chicken to the food bank. One was designated for distribution in the state, and one was designated for a food swap with a New York City food bank.
Over the weekend, someone stole both trailers (and the tractors that pull the trailers).
Besides the obvious outrage over a major theft from an organization that helps the needy, what does a thief do with 57,000 pounds of frozen chicken, and two tractor trailer rigs? “Hot” chickens?? I just can’t imagine that there’s much of a market for this product. But what do I know? Maybe there is. I’m not sure that thievery gets any lower than stealing food from people in true need.
After receiving news of the theft, I spoke with Ed Matarese (Facilities Manager at FBD) and he confirmed that the organization is reeling from the loss of both the food and the equipment. According to Matarese, in terms of immediate needs, FBD could really use the temporary loan of a tractor / trailer rig, as he is not hopeful that the equipment will be recovered anytime soon. Any trucking or logistics company in the Greater Philly region who could lend assistance can contact Matarese at 302-292-1305. The loss of FBD’s equipment is probably more impactful to the operation of FBD than the theft of the chickens, at least in terms of food distribution throughout the state Delaware.
If you’d like to help with a food or monetary donation to offset the loss of the donated product, hit the FBD site and follow the links.
And if someone offers you a chicken that fell off the back of a truck, call your local authorities.
