HERRIMAN, Utah — When you pass Salt Lake Academy, you may see a white bus parked on the side. That bus was meant to do a lot more than just take people places.
“This bus is going to be our mobile pantry," shared Kristen Lemon with the Compassion Community Center. "It was rough to find one that was in our budget from donations that we received."
Lemon took over the nonprofit a couple of years ago, with a goal to bring free food to those hungry in the community. However, that dream of going mobile was short-lived.
“Having our windows broken is a little bit of a heartbreaking setback," Lemon said.
The center was started by Sam Gibbs, Executive Director at Salt Lake Academy Schools, which still houses the bus and other supplies.
“I was really disappointed," said Gibbs. "It was originally parked in a place where our cameras don't show, so I couldn't really identify who what happened. We moved it to a place where it was more prevalent, so we could monitor it.”
With many of the bus's windows bashed in, the vandalism creates a whole new list of issues that the center wasn't prepared for.
“Money that we had set aside for other things and to pay for other things now has to be put into this glass repair, and so it's just putting us that much farther back. And eventually, that money would have went to the food," Lemon said.
Lemon said they chose not to file a police report. Instead, they just want the community to rally and help them get it running by Thanksgiving through donating, volunteering, and fundraising.
"I actually don't want anybody to get in trouble; I just want people to know that it's not okay to vandalize things," Lemon said. "It's especially sad when it's a community resource that truly is helping people supplement, getting food into bellies of kids and families who may not have that food otherwise.”
"For those who would like to support Compassion Community Center, there are so many ways to help us get our mobile food pantry up and running so we can get back to serving families in our community!
Monetary donations can be made directly through PayPal, and the center said it is always grateful for food donations that will stock the mobile pantry and provide for families in need.
"Although the broken windows have been an unexpected setback, our mission hasn't changed," the center said. "We want to continue loving and serving our neighbors, making sure families know they aren't forgotten."