A San Antonio nonprofit has had its operations crippled following a break-in and vehicle vandalism over the weekend, leaving the group scrambling to service the community ahead of its upcoming holiday events. Blessed Angels, an organization with a track record of running food giveaways and holiday drives, discovered the damage yesterday morning, which included one van on wooden stumps after all four tires were stolen and a second vehicle with a shattered window and hood popped in an attempted battery theft, as reported by KSAT.
According to CEO Marion Thomas, the incident has thrown a wrench in the works for their scheduled events, including a toy drive set for this Friday following a successful giveaway that reached 750 children the Saturday prior. Thomas told KSAT that "Today nobody got food, and tomorrow I don't know what we’re going to do because we have to use the cars to go pick up the seniors to come to the senior center, so I don't have any transportation to deliver food this week at all."
The setback hits at a particularly busy time for the nonprofit, which had several events lined up through the fall and winter to support underserved populations, including seniors, families in need, mental health court recipients, and homeless veterans, detailed on their official events page. Blessed Angels' calendar promised a season of giving, from free grocery days to a Thanksgiving giveaway, all now jeopardized by the recent criminal acts.
With much of their operations hinging on vehicle availability, the vandalism not only put immediate support activities on ice, but it also forced the organization to divert funds toward repairs and insurance deductibles, hampering their ability to meet their ambitious gift-giving goals for the coming toy drive, Marion Thomas emphasized the urgency of their plight considering the timing and the impact on the community, saying "I’m trying to prepare for Friday to get enough toys and bicycles and things for kids, now I got to put a hold on that and save our money because now we got the deductible and who knows what else." These disruptions are a direct blow to their mission of "helping families in need," which they championed during their Big Give Event on September 20 and 21.
The organization is currently seeking monetary donations and transportation aid to navigate through these challenges and continue serving their community. Those interested in lending support to Blessed Angels can make contributions through their website, as communicated by Thomas.
