Veterans assistance event suffers burglary of $26,000 in blankets and supplies

Photo by Michael Woodward

PLANNING: North Valley Stand Down coordinator Dale Streetman, right, speaks with volunteer Mark Boehly at the three-day event's opening hour. The organization suffered a loss of $26,000 in supplies to assist US military veterans.

Photo by Michael Woodward

SEEKING A COAT: Homeless veteran Richard Zinser, 70, who served in the Army from 1966 to 1967, attended the Stand Down seeking a warm coat.

Photo by Michael Woodward

RESPITE: Robert Brigeman, 58, attended the Stand Down at the Shasta District Fair grounds for the fellowship of other veterans and for three days of shelter and food.

Volunteers from North Valley Veterans Stand Down were scrambling Friday to find replacements for $26,000 worth of blankets, cots, tents and coats intended for homeless veterans. The items had reportedly been stolen from a locked storage unit just prior to the annual three-day event at the Shasta District Fair grounds in Anderson.

The Stand Down provides food, shelter, health check-ups and financial assistance for military veterans. Last year the event assisted 300 veterans, some of whom were homeless.

Event organizers discovered the theft Wednesday night when they arrived at Anderson Mini RV and Boat Storage on Ravenwood Ave. The door to the unit was open when they arrived and must have occurred within the last two weeks, Streetman told Anderson Police Department Detective Regina Collier.

“There was an exorbitant amount of property stolen,” Collier said. “We are currently at a standstill, there are no suspects. We hope the kind citizens of Shasta County will give us some kind of lead.”

While surrounded by a high fence and equipped with an automatic gate for entry, no video surveillance equipment was evident at the storage facility, whose management refused to comment about the alleged theft.

Collier urged anyone with information about the theft to contact APD at 378-6600.

Beyond the loss of 1,500 blankets, 100 Navy peacoats, 50 cots, 10 canopies, stolen property also included office supplies and items needed to host the event.

“We had brand new items to give out,” Stand Down coordinator Dale Streetman said.

With the loss of so much equipment just two days before veterans arrive, what items will veterans go without?

“If I have anything to do with it — nothing. I will not let this thing fail,” Streetman said. “The volunteers are fantastic. We’re scrounging our own homes to get this to work. Wherever we can get something, we’ll beg and borrow.”

Beyond giving their effort and time, volunteers have brought in from home their own extension cords, clothing, and even sledgehammers to pound stakes for tents, Streetman said.

“Everyone is coming together to make sure this works,” he said.

Despite the theft, volunteers were confident the weekend event would be a success.

“The worst part of it is the insult to the vets,” volunteer Mark Boehly said. “We’re going to make do, but it makes it (difficult). It’s just unfortunate.”

“I think its going really well,” Terry Mikesell said, adding that the Red Cross brought 100 blankets.

Also, the Stand Down organization in Marysville donated 200 sleeping bags.

The Stand Down will provide for veterans from noon on Friday to noon on Sunday. In that time, veterans can receive shelter, food, clothing, legal services, social services assistance, and even post-traumatic stress disorder counseling — all under the watch of 24-hour security.

One homeless Army veteran, Richard Zinser, 70, said he never misses a Stand Down for the opportunity to meet and enjoy the company of other veterans. Although he said he was also looking for a warm coat.

“I need a heavy coat. I’m not used to being on the street every night. When you get to my age, you get cold easily,” Zinzer commented.

Another homeless veteran, Robert Brigeman, 58, was experiencing his first visit to a Stand Down.

“You see a lot of different vets from different periods of time, have food and share memories,” Brigeman said. “It’s like a vacation for me — a place to stay for three days, a sleeping bag and everyone’s concerned.”

Donations to the North Valley Stand Down Association can be made by contacting Dale Streetman at 209-4306.