Teenage vandals destroy van donated to local food pantry

Food bank's van destroyed by teens on church property

A church and food pantry wanted to sell a donated van to raise money and help more people. But, the van was destroyed while parked on church property. FOX 4's David Sentendrey is in Pleasant Grove speaking with the food bank's founder.

DALLAS - A Dallas church hopes someone will recognize the teenagers who destroyed a van that was donated to help raise money for a local food pantry.

Vandals Trash Donated Van

The backstory:

If you are looking for free clothing, furniture, or healthcare, the Inspired Vision Compassion Center can help. But more than anything, the organization focuses on food.

"We are a food bank that provides groceries to 1,800 families a day, five days a week," said Dr. Teadran White with Inspired Vision Compassion Center.

White’s family opened the food bank just before COVID hit in 2020 as an extension of Inspired Vision Church and Academy. Their goal was to give back to the community in Pleasant Grove. 

It’s a Dallas neighborhood White loves. But she understands there can be trouble.

"This was always a difficult neighborhood," she said.

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Mission Arlington, which is known for its "no cost" Christmas store during the holidays, is heading into the fall season struggling to keep up with the demand for food it provides to families.

What's new:

The trouble hit close to home recently when vandals destroyed a seven-passenger van that was parked on the church property. It’s a van that had been donated to the pantry to sell to raise money.

"And somebody had just completely demolished it," White said. "Basically, two what appears to be teenagers spent about 45 minutes just destroying it."

Grainy security video shows the two suspects trashing the van.

"They jumped on the roof. They smashed every window, every mirror. They snapped all of the windshield wipers," White said.

The van was initially worth a few thousand dollars, which would have paid for a semi-truck full of food for the pantry. After the vandalism, the van became an expense.

"So, they basically just annihilated it. So, we ended up having to get a wrecker and take it to the dump," White said.

What they're saying:

White is not angry at the vandals.

"They didn’t realize that it has such a deeper meaning for this community," he said.

He’s more concerned for the teens.

"Why are they out at 3 a.m.? They shouldn’t be out at 3 a.m.," he said. "I want them to realize that there’s a problem with what they’re doing now before it escalates to more crime and then they get in real trouble."

What's next:

Although the crime was disappointing, White said it will not stop the Inspired Vision food pantry from continuing to serve the people of Pleasant Grove.