A series of four fires recently broke out at Stockton’s Emergency Food Bank, two of which were targeted arson, according to an organization official.
The food bank, which has operated since 1968, provides free groceries to roughly 500 to 550 households daily, according to Jimmy Garza, director of warehouse operations.
The first fire occurred last month around noon on June 18 and according to CEO Leonard Hansen, started when a nearby unhoused individual’s tent caught fire, spreading flames to a tree on the food bank’s fence line.
The food bank itself was largely unharmed and the fire department extinguished the flames within minutes of a phone call.
After business hours that night, embers from the same tree reignited, falling and burning a planter used to grow melons. A janitorial worker on site reported the fire.
Stockton Fire Chief Brandon Doolan told Stocktonia the department was already stretched thin that day due to high winds and multiple grass fires citywide, but still was able to put it out.
A third incident occurred early June 25, when another individual threw an “incendiary object” over the fence around 3 a.m., according to Food Bank CEO Leonard, who reported the findings from secuirty footage. The object ignited a pallet of cardboard and spread to a large nearby 40 foot long storage container.
When firefighters arrived, many items including motorcycle tires, spooled copper wire, and other goods were burned.
Items such as these were donations by Amazon, and usually distributed to other collaborators and communities like Salvation Army and Goodwill.
Jimmy Garza estimated the loss at several thousands of dollars.
“It was a mess, I mean it really hurt cause you know to come to work and see that everything was burned down. We had a lot of cleanup to do,” said Garza.
Fire Company 2, located just blocks away, responded to all three fires and prevented damage to the main facility or food supplies.
Hansen said the quick response time by firefighters saved them from a greater problem.
“The issue was that had the fire department not been able to control it fast enough, it would have taken everything,” Hansen said.
The food bank has faced challenges before, including theft and vandalism, Hansen noted. Fencing has been upgraded, and a temporary overnight security guard has been hired, but with an added cost.
Hansen told Stocktonia he’s working to install flood lights on a neighboring building, lighting up the area.
As cleanup continues, staff are working to find a new storage container, and remove the burned one.
Only a couple days ago, a fourth fire was set ablaze by an unidentified individual, who threw an already lit cardboard box over the north fence by Mormon slough, according to Hansen.
The fire department noticed the fire at about 6:40 p.m. on Wednesday, when the crew acted to put it out.
The fire struck and set fire to 80 plastic bins, then spread to a heap of new cardboard used for to fill food with.
Part of the warehouse awning and some asphalt were also burnt. Hansen estimated the damage to be about $40k.
A temporary security guard has since been rehired.
“We had a pretty good run going for about 18 months where we weren’t having to fix things and this is back with a real vengeance. This is a lot worse than it’s been for a long time,” said Hansen.
Garza expressed frustration over the recent fires.
“For somebody to come in here and burn us up…I mean, I just don’t see it, you know?” he said.
The food bank serves the community daily, despite individuals who attempt to intervene with operations.
“We don’t miss,” Hansen said. “We don’t fold and we don’t give up.”
Meanwhile, the United States Department of Agriculture funding cuts have compounded the strain.
“USDA stopping is a big deal,” Hansen said. “Donations are noticeably down. Cash donations, food donations, everything.”
To learn more or donate, visit www.stocktonfoodbank.org.