D47 Food Shed Vandalized: Police

CRYSTAL LAKE, IL — A community food shed that's benefited families struggling during the COVID-19 pandemic was vandalized Thursday, authorities said.

The food shed at Canterbury Elementary School in Crystal Lake was broken into and food items appear to have been tipped out of it and smashed on the ground. The Crystal Lake Police Department posted a photo of the destruction on its Facebook page Thursday.

"Canterbury's Food Pantry was vandalized earlier," according to the Facebook post. "Not only is this shameful and cruel, but we can all agree that this is unacceptable in Crystal Lake."

Canterbury Elementary School was the first school within District 47 to establish a school-based food pantry in 2017 through the efforts of the Canterbury Community Council, a dedicated group of Canterbury parents and staff members. Last fall, when that initial shed was seeing its supply dwindle during the pandemic, Crystal Lake resident Shannon Trocki approached the school about adding a second, larger food pantry.

Administrators were on board with the idea and Trocki and her family purchased and installed a second, larger shed at the school in November. The additional pantry has allowed the school to accept more donations and to separate food items from non-food items, according to District 47.

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“Food insecurity is such an important issue that all communities face and COVID has only made this issue worse,” said Trocki said in a mid-April statement from D47 regarding the addition of the new shed. “Children and families have so many other challenges to deal with. If we can help them get their most basic needs met by allowing them to access food or personal hygiene products, they can spend their money on other necessities.”

The sheds are accessed primarily by families in the immediate area who either don’t have the proper identification or transportation to get to the Crystal Lake Food Pantry, said Canterbury assistant principal Amy Lilly in the recent D47 press release.

Around 51.4 percent of Canterbury students are considered low-income and qualify for free/reduced lunch, according to District 47.

Police said Canterbury has asked that the public "keep a special eye on the food pantry." The police department is currently investigating the incident.

Food donations can be dropped off at the school's main office, 875 Canterbury Drive, between 8:30 a.m. and 4 p.m. on week days or left inside the food shed.