A food pantry that is open to the community 24/7 in Crystal Lake was vandalized earlier this week, police said, calling the incident “shameful and cruel.”
The pantry is located at Canterbury Elementary School, located at 875 Canterbury Drive in Crystal Lake.
The Crystal Lake Police Department and school officials said the incident happened late Tuesday evening.
“Not only is this shameful and cruel but we can all agree that this is unacceptable in Crystal Lake,” police said.
The school has asked police officers to pay extra attention to the food pantry while the case is being investigated.
Residents who would like to help contribute food to the pantry can still bring it to the main office between 8:30 am and 4 p.m. or leave it inside the pantry.
According to the school, the pantry, which was established in 2017 for those in need, is open 24/7 for people to take whatever items they need.
The school asked Crystal Lake parents in a Facebook post to speak with their kids about the incident.
“Please talk to your kids about how valuable and important this community resource is for our community. If you’re here on the property and you see someone raiding the pantry and causing harm, say something.”
Canterbury Elementary School mentioned in their post that their community garden and greenhouse had also been vandalized.
It is unclear if any suspects have been identified yet. Lake and McHenry County Scanner has reached out to police for additional details.
The Crystal Lake Police Department is encouraging those with information on the incident to call them at 815-356-3620.