Houston church vehicle stolen for third time, impacts meal delivery to hungry children
Houston pastor church van stolen for 3rd time
City of Deliverance Worship Center in Houston depends on its vans to deliver over 1,500 meals to hungry children and their families across Houston each day. They are now left wondering where their next meal will come from because thieves stole the church's van. It was all caught on camera. FOX 26's Sherman Desselle spoke with the pastor for more info.
HOUSTON - A vehicle was stolen from a church property for the third time in two years, leaving a community of hungry children potentially without food.
The white Ford van, used to deliver meals to school children and their families, was stolen from the City of Deliverance Worship Center on Sunday. Security cameras captured the moment two men walked onto the lot and broke into the van on the 6700 block of West Bellfort Avenue.
Pastor Carl Johnson, who has been serving his community for nearly 30 years, said the theft is a major setback for the church's at-risk program.
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"We try to make sure that every kid has a meal," Johnson said. "We go into apartments, community centers, churches. When I was a kid, I knew what it was like to not have food."
In 2021, their first white Ford van was stolen from the lot and never found. In 2022, their Ford Explorer was broken into and stolen. Houston police found it not too far away with the catalytic converter stripped.
Thieves stole the converter from the newest Ford van months ago. While it was repaired, that didn't stop someone from stealing it this past Sunday.
The stolen vans were used to deliver over 1,500 meals a day, just in Houston. They also delivered meals to after-school programs in districts located outside the city.
Recent numbers from the Houston State of Health website show 13.8 percent of the growing population in Houston is food insecure.
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Johnson said he is hoping someone knows something about the crime and will come forward. He is also determined to find a way to feed the families who rely on the church's meals.
"We have to come up with some type of strategy or idea to make something work," Johnson said. "I probably wouldn't even want to press charges on them. I'd make them come over here and do community service and make them help and fix these meals."
Anyone with information about the theft is asked to contact the Houston Police Department or Crime Stoppers.