Big Brothers and Big Sisters of Northern B.C. (BBBSNBC) has been the victim of ongoing vandalizations to its program vans and is now looking into solutions to protect its vehicles.
“Over the last few years now, our programs vans have been targeted by thieves, they've stolen the catalytic converters off of our vans, and they drill into our gas tanks as well to siphon the gas out and it just causes a big mess and we have to get that all cleaned up and it costs thousands of dollars to source out new gas tanks,” explained BBBSNBC executive director Amanda Holmes.
She said it has happened almost monthly, and every single van has been vandalized at one point or another.
“We're just banging our heads against the wall with it because we get them fixed, we park them and two weeks later, it happens again.”
The organization needs at minimum two vans working in order to transport children for before and after school care. Staff are currently storing the vans off-site, but Holmes explains that is only a temporary solution because the vans are used so frequently, they need to be kept in a centralized location.
The BBBSNBC building is located on a quiet area on Kinsmen Place, without much traffic and Holmes suspects it is a crime of opportunity.
“I feel like it probably is more than likely mostly the same people doing it. They know that the vans are going to be refueled and back in their spots,” said Holmes. She added the not-for-profit does have cameras and security, but nothing seems to matter.
“We phone the RCMP every time just to let them know. But, you know, unfortunately, there's only so much they can do when we can't get a clear image of anyone's face.”
BBBSNBC is looking at options to build a compound where it can fit the vans and securely store them onsite.
“It's just the cost is a huge thing, being a not-for-profit, we just don't have thousands and thousands of dollars to put toward building this compound,” said Holmes.
However, Holmes said Central Builders has reached out to help and members of the community have begun to step up with donations, but the cost of materials will be the biggest hurdle.
“It's disheartening, right? Everybody here works so hard and you're just trying to do your best with very limited funding being a not-for-profit,” said Holmes.
“It's a real setback when we have these things happen because truthfully, they take away from our programming. You know, and it's already been hard for all the not-for-profits after COVID and everything so, here you are trying to get back on your feet and you just keep getting knocked down every month.”
BBBSNBC is currently accepting donations online through its website.
