Bronx resource center that was helping residents displaced by a fire robbed, officials say
NEW YORK -- Many Bronx residents are upset about a recent burglary in their borough.
A temporary resource center that was set up to help out hundreds of people displaced from a fire was robbed this week.
"They took what they can sell"
The corner of the Allerton Resource and Recovery Center remained almost empty on Tuesday. Photos show a large hole in the front door that the suspects broke in order to gain access.
Gene DeFrancis, executive director of Allerton International Merchants Association, said the thieves got away with high-priced items like dog food and diapers.
"They took what they can sell," DeFrancis said. "It's just heartbreaking that someone would break in."
While the thieves got away with many of the donations, Allerton International isn't backing down. It has installed a new glass front door as part of their glass-half-full outlook, as it continues to help all the people it can.
"If these residents don't give up, we are not going to give up. This neighborhood is strong and resilient," DeFrancis said.
The resource center will be open for a little more than a week. All the leftover items will then be donated to other organizations.
250 people were displaced by mid-January blaze
On the same day a five-alarm fire tore through an apartment building on Wallace Avenue last month, the center opened up to provide the more than 250 displaced residents with items they need to survive, all donated by the community.
"We are here to help the people that literally lost everything. They are in shelters," said Larry Mauriello, president of Allerton International Merchants Association.
Crews spent hours trying to get the flames and smoke under control, but officials said the roof and all the apartments on the top floor were destroyed, and water damaged every other unit.
One man said many of his friends are still homeless because of the fire, and they need all the help they can get.
"They need places like this to get the baby the food, because they are going through a lot of hardships," he said.