Volunteers clean up East St. Louis Salvation Army after break-ins
EAST ST. LOUIS, Ill. - Dozens of volunteers gathered today to help clean up the Salvation Army's East St. Louis location after repeated burglaries forced the closure of its food pantry.
The Salvation Army of St. Clair County reported that their East St. Louis location has suffered 13 break-ins over the past eight months, resulting in significant damage including more than 15 shattered windows, several broken doors, and trashed rooms.
"We're super grateful they came out here with their chainsaws, their oil, their hands," said Captain Kenneth Jones of the Salvation Army of St. Clair County.
The most recent break-in occurred in July, leaving behind extensive damage that volunteers worked to repair today. Captain Jones mentioned that surveillance footage has been handed over to the East St. Louis Police Department, with hopes that those responsible for the break-ins will be brought to justice.
All facts in this report were gathered by journalists employed by KTVI. Artificial intelligence tools were used to reformat from a broadcast script into a news article for our website. This report was edited and fact-checked by KTVI staff before being published.
