A copper theft at Meals on Wheels Sacramento County's distribution center disrupted operations Thursday and Friday. 

Thieves pried open cases in front of the facility early Thursday morning, stealing copper from water pipes and leaving the organization without running water. Workers arrived at a flooded parking lot outside the Rosemont-area distribution center.

"It was surprising," said Mindy Klick, executive director of Meals on Wheels Sacramento County.

The nonprofit typically serves hot meals five days a week, but without water, that wasn't possible. Instead, participants received frozen meals, a workaround Klick says can create additional challenges.

"Some of them may not be able to heat those, so that creates an even bigger issue when we're trying to serve our senior community," Klick said.

Just down the road, ABC School reported copper stolen from two of its water meters over the Thanksgiving holiday. 

The Sacramento County Sheriff's Office says investigators are looking into both incidents and believe the thefts are connected.

Contractor Jesse Flores, owner of Top Priority Backflow, was brought in to replace the stolen copper. He says copper theft is becoming increasingly common.

"Lately, most of our time is taken up replacing this and getting people their water back," Flores said.

The incentive for thieves can add up quickly. Flores says copper sells for about $2 to $3 a pound, with 20 to 30 pounds coming from a single meter. 

Despite the setback, Meals on Wheels Sacramento County says it will continue serving the community.

"We're down, but we're not out," Klick said. "We're going to keep serving meals and serving our participants."

The nonprofit expects to resume serving hot meals by Monday.