Last week, nearly 14,000 pairs of socks were stolen from Brian’s Angels Homeless Outreach in Bristol.
“It’s a despicable thing, and anybody who could do this should be ashamed of themselves,” said Jessica Bolesta, a volunteer at Brian’s Angels.
Brian’s Angels Homeless Outreach is feeling angry, and rightfully so.
"It’s a big deal because we’re not supposed to steal from each other. It’s a big deal because all they had to do was ask if they needed socks,” said Pat Stebbins, executive director of Brian’s Angels Homeless Outreach.
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Stebbins was walking to her storage unit last Friday afternoon when she noticed a broken latch, a busted door and her shed, all out of sorts.
“I got in the pod and found out that they didn’t only take the three boxes that were outside, but the rest of the boxes were gone,” Stebbins said.
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She said that sometime overnight, between eight to 10 boxes were stolen. Inside? Nearly 14,000 socks.
“People come in with broken down shoes and wet socks and we make sure they get their feet dry,” Stebbins said.
She filed a report with Bristol Police on Friday, but according to police, the incident is still under investigation.
“It’s concerning that somebody would do something like this right before Christmas,” Stebbins said.
Brian’s Angels was founded in memory of Stebbins’ late son with the goal of offering aid to those in need.
“If they need help, all they have to do is ask,” she said.
Seeing such a theft, particularly this time of year, was hard for them to fathom.
“How? How could you do such a thing? People are living outside with nothing in this blistering cold weather,” Bolesta said.
"All I want to do is say just, be kind to each other. Merry Christmas, Happy New Year, but this stuff has got to stop,” Stebbins said.
