The Adelaide children's charity Puddle Jumpers says it has been left "heartbroken" by the theft of an estimated $23,000 worth of donated items, including Christmas toys and shoes intended as presents for vulnerable families, weeks after its Hindmarsh op shop was gutted by a suspicious fire.
SA Police has confirmed it is investigating the break-in at a Brompton facility the charity was using as temporary storage, which it said occurred in the early hours of October 28. In a post on social media, Puddle Jumpers said it was "absolutely gut-wrenching" to discover that "toys put aside for Christmas presents" had been stolen.
"After losing our Hindmarsh op shop to fire, we have been working so hard to keep going," the charity said. "To now face another devastating loss is horrible. Our volunteers give so much of their time and hearts, and our community keeps showing up for us. This has left us feeling sick, exhausted and deeply saddened."
Puddle Jumpers chief executive and founder Melanie Tate estimated the value of the stolen goods at about $23,000, including 78 pairs of shoes, among them new Nike shoes, and described the theft as a "far greater loss than just the monetary value of those items."
"We're working with kids living in cars, we're working with families who don't have enough food to eat, we're working with children who work in out-of-home care," Ms Tate said. "It's the children and families who are going to miss out. That's the really sad and hard part."
Ms Tate said the owners of the storage facility alerted her to the theft on Friday, but she suspected the site had been targeted multiple times and said camera footage showed the thieves had been there three or four times that week. "Today, we've come back here and realised that more has gone over the weekend," she said.
The theft came weeks after Puddle Jumpers' op shop on Port Road at Hindmarsh was gutted in September by a blaze police are treating as suspicious. At the time, police said a pair was seen "fleeing on foot towards the city along Port Road," and have confirmed investigations are ongoing. Ms Tate said the charity was exploring options for a new site.
Analysis
Why This Matters
- The stolen items were intended as Christmas presents for the vulnerable children and families Puddle Jumpers supports, including children living in cars, families without enough food and children in out-of-home care.
- The loss compounds an already difficult period for the charity, which was still working to recover from the September fire that destroyed its Hindmarsh op shop.
- With Christmas approaching, the charity now faces the challenge of replacing the goods, and Ms Tate has said it is exploring options for a new site.
Background
Puddle Jumpers is an Adelaide children's charity that runs an op shop and relies on donated goods and volunteers. Its Port Road op shop at Hindmarsh was destroyed by a suspicious fire in September, and the Brompton facility was being used as temporary storage when thieves broke in during the early hours of October 28. Police have described the fire as suspicious and are investigating both matters.
Key Perspectives
Puddle Jumpers: says the theft is "heartbreaking" and represents a "far greater loss than just the monetary value of those items," with vulnerable children and families set to miss out on Christmas presents.
SA Police: has confirmed it is investigating the Brompton break-in and says investigations into the September fire are ongoing.
What to Watch
- Whether police investigations into the Brompton break-in and the September fire lead to charges.
- Whether Puddle Jumpers secures a new site and replaces the stolen toys and shoes before Christmas.
- Whether further losses emerge; Ms Tate said more items were found missing over the weekend after the initial alert.
Checked
12 claims in this story checked against 1 source: 12 supported.
Show each claim
- SupportedThe charity was left “heartbroken” by the theft of Christmas toys and shoes.Just In: “An Adelaide children's charity says it has been left "heartbroken" by the theft of thousands of dollars worth of donated items intended for vulnerable families as Christmas presents.”
- SupportedThe estimated value of the stolen goods was $23,000.Just In: “The charity estimates $23,000 worth of goods were stolen, including Nike shoes.”
- SupportedThe theft happened weeks after a fire gutted Puddle Jumpers’ Hindmarsh op shop.Just In: “Puddle Jumpers said thieves had targeted a Brompton facility being used as a temporary storage site, weeks after its op shop on Port Road at Hindmarsh was gutted by a suspicious fire.”
- SupportedPolice are treating the fire as suspicious and investigating the Brompton break-in.Just In: “SA Police has confirmed it is investigating the Brompton break-in”
- SupportedPolice said the Brompton break-in occurred in the early hours of October 28.Just In: “SA Police has confirmed it is investigating the Brompton break-in, which it said occurred in the early hours of October 28.”
- SupportedPuddle Jumpers posted that discovering the theft was “absolutely gut-wrenching” and that “toys put aside for Christmas presents” had been stolen.Just In: “In a post on social media, Puddle Jumpers said it was "absolutely gut-wrenching" to discover that "toys put aside for Christmas presents" had been stolen.”
- SupportedIn its post, the charity said it had been working hard after losing the op shop to fire and described the loss as horrible, leaving it sick, exhausted and deeply saddened.Just In: “"After losing our Hindmarsh op shop to fire, we have been working so hard to keep going," it said. "To now face another devastating loss is horrible. "Our volunteers give so much of their time and hearts, and our community keeps showing up for us. This has left us feeling sick, exhausted and deeply saddened."”
- SupportedChief executive and founder Melanie Tate estimated the loss at about $23,000 and said 78 pairs of shoes, including new Nike shoes, were taken.Just In: “Puddle Jumpers CEO and founder Melanie Tate estimated the value of the stolen goods was about $23,000, but described the theft as a "far greater loss than just the monetary value of those items". "Seventy-eight pairs of shoes have been taken, [including] brand new Nike shoes," she said.”
- SupportedTate described the theft as “a far greater loss than just the monetary value of those items.”Just In: “described the theft as a "far greater loss than just the monetary value of those items".”
- SupportedTate said children and families would miss out, including children living in cars, families without enough food and children in out-of-home care.Just In: “"We're working with kids living in cars, we're working with families who don't have enough food to eat, we're working with children who work in out-of-home care. "It's the children and families who are going to miss out. That's the really sad and hard part."”
- SupportedTate said the storage facility’s owners alerted her on Friday and that camera footage suggested the thieves had been there three or four times that week.Just In: “Ms Tate said the owners of the storage facility had alerted her to the theft on Friday, but she suspected the site had been targeted multiple times. "The disaster unfolded when we realised, looking back from the camera footage from the owners, that they [the thieves] had actually been here … three or four times that week," she said.”
- SupportedTate said they returned and realised more had gone over the weekend.Just In: “"Today, we've come back here and realised that more has gone over the weekend."”