11 October 2023 , 11:37
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A boy who used his birthday money to launch a foodbank from his garden shed has been left devastated after cruel thieves ransacked the charity. Kind-hearted Isaac Winfield, 12, fills bags of food which have been donated and hands them out to needy locals in Redditch, Worcs.
The youngster started the foodbank a year ago after asking his mum Claire to give him money for groceries instead of a birthday present. It became so popular he opened a number of foodbanks across the town, handing out an astonishing 4,000 food parcels this year.
But now two sites have been raided by thieves, including one captured on CCTV breaking into Isaac’s shed wearing a Halloween panda mask. His mum Claire-Louise Chapman said: “Isaac was absolutely devastated. He cried and he cried. He is absolutely crushed.
Isaac Winfield outside his amazing shed which he now has to restock. (Anita Maric / SWNS)“Isaac is an incredible boy who has overcome so much so to see this happen is just heartbreaking.”
“When I first looked at the CCTV, I thought it was Mickey Mouse in the shed, But when he turned around, it was this grotesque and creepy panda Halloween mask.”
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“It’s just so wicked that someone could do this. “I’m really not sure why. I wish I knew the answer to that so we could stop it.”
The CCTV showed the thief making two trips into the shed filling up bags of food, leaving the shelves bare. Plans for a fifth foodbank have been put on hold so that Isaac’s family can save to buy an alarm system.
CCTV footage of the thief in the panda mask inside Isaac Winfield's foodbank shed stealing donated items. (Claire Chapman / SWNS)West Mercia Police confirmed food items worth £40 had been stolen in the burglary. The force is appealing for witnesses.
To donate to Isaac's foodbank appeal, visit his GoFundMe here.