Hitting ‘a speed bump’: Thief targets Lincoln nonprofit’s food delivery bus

LINCOLN, Neb. (KLKN) — A nonprofit in Lincoln hit a road bump after someone stole more than $1,000 in equipment from its bus.

Food Fort serves meals to children in need.

On Monday, the team had a terrible realization when preparing the bus to deliver food.

“We discovered that our lock had been cut off of our bus door, and so that was kind of our first clue that a break-in had happened,” fundraising director Mason Keim said. “Then we later on discovered that our generator and hitch had been stolen.”

The generator was used to keep the bus cool and the meals warm.

The nonprofit used the hitch to hook up a trailer to carry fresh produce.

“Not being able to hitch up that unit means we have to find other ways to still provide that produce,” Keim said. “It also means that we can’t keep that produce around for quite as long.”

He said it’s disappointing that someone would steal from an organization that’s trying to do good things for children who need support.

But the team isn’t letting this distract them from its mission, which is to build connections with kids who might not have a reliable role model in their lives.

“When we run into a speed bump like this or an obstacle, we have to make sure we maintain that consistency,” Keim said. “We want to send the message that no matter what, we’re going to be here for you, we’re going to show up and we’re going to keep maintaining and growing this relationship that we have with you.”

Keim said the Food Fort bus will be out again Monday whether it has a new generator or not.

“As disappointing as a loss like this is, it’s not going to stop us from doing the valuable work that we love to do,” he said.