Dallas non-profit gutted by thieves, vows to continue serving community

Dallas non-profit outreach center gutted by thieves

Burglars ransacked Kathy's Sunshine Outreach Center, a Dallas non-profit serving the historic Joppa community, stealing supplies and damaging the facility, yet the center plans to continue its vital work.

DALLAS, Texas - A Dallas non-profit is reeling after thieves took almost everything from their building and destroyed the small facility in the process.

Joppa is a historic community in Dallas, established in 1872 by former slaves.

Local perspective:

Kathy's Sunshine Outreach Center is a non-profit that has been pouring into the community of Joppa for nearly 30 years.

Tough-hearted thieves cleaned out the building over the weekend in every way possible.

Christopher Harris says the name of the non-profit is named after his mother and the non-profit has been working since 1998.

Harris was asked about what Kathy’s Sunshine Outreach Center does in the community of Joppa.

"Helps the senior citizens, helps the community, the food pantry, anything that we can do to assist anybody that needs our help," said Harris.

What we know:

Burglars broke into the center between Friday evening and Sunday midday.

"I came over to cut the yard, because I normally cut it once a week. I came in and saw something was kind of off and I looked...," said Harris. 

"It wasn't an ordinary burglary. They took all our chairs, tables, the meter, they destroyed our AC units, they destroyed both bathrooms. They took anything that they could get their hands on."

"It was just senseless, senseless, I can't believe it." 

Harris says the burglars enter the center through the windows before destroying the facility.

"Yes, they got in through the windows, and then they proceeded to dismantle everything in here that you could think of. Thinking that it was copper." 

He then confirmed with FOX 4’s Shaun Rabb that the appliances were also taken from the facility.

"This is the pantry area. This is one of the most devastating parts of it. This is where all the food was kept," said Harris.

"I have no, I kind of have no words. I mean, I'm just, just really at a loss for words, because when you walk in, and you see the devastation of something that has been built over these years, something that we have put our time, our hearts, and it wasn't done out of selfishness, it was really done to help other people."

Dig deeper:

Kathy's Sunshine Outreach Center has helped so many and now needs some help. 

Their center is small, but their outreach was large.

Still, the damage is such, without some help the building would not be usable, but Harris says there are people depending on them for meals this week.

So, he is going to use grills to prepare food, so people have something to eat.

"Not going to let one thing just keep us from doing what we have got to do, no matter if we get help or not. We still have a job to do because it's still people that need us, and then it's just something we have to do."