Saturday, July 28, 2007


FORT WORTH, Jul. 28, 2007 (McClatchy-Tribune Regional News delivered by Newstex) --
It's not unusual for those needing financial assistance to seek help from Catholic Charities.

Thieves, however, have taken the agency's generosity to extremes.

Employees arrived at the nonprofit agency at 1404 Hemphill St. on Friday morning to discover someone had gutted their central air conditioning unit, apparently looking for copper.

'They described it as a mangled mess on the ground.' said Erinn Hall, a spokeswoman for the agency. 'I guess they tried to steal any part of value.'

Copper thefts continue to be a problem in the region because of high scrap-metal prices. Churches, businesses and homes are frequent targets, and a week ago, Grand Prairie police arrested a man they say stole copper out of light poles along Interstate 30.

The air conditioner at the Hemphill campus of Catholic Charities provided cooling for the agency's basic needs programs, including financial assistance for many needy families in the community.

'It's a terrible irony that thieves stole the insides and copper out of the air conditioner unit when that's our campus that really serves that need in the community,' Hall said.

Just two weeks ago, the agency and TXU had held a 'Beat the Heat' event at the facility, giving out more than 200 fans, energy-efficient light bulbs and $10 gas cards to needy families.

Replacing the air conditioner will cost an estimated $2,000 to $2,500, Hall said.

Anne Mason, director of development and public relations for the agency, said that's money that should have been used to serve the agency's clients.

'That could have helped two or three people pay their rent this month,' Mason said.

'It's unfortunate,' Mason added. 'The truth is, if they needed the money that bad, they could have waited until we opened and come inside and applied for assistance. We invite them to come back and follow the rules and apply. That's what we're there for. We just prefer they do it by coming in the front door.'

How to help

Anyone interested in making a donation to Catholic Charities can do so by calling Anne Mason at 817-413-3915, visiting the agency's Web site at www.ccdofw.org, or mailing donations to the agency at 2701 Burchill Road North, Fort Worth, TX 76105. Please specify how you would like the donation to be used.

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 dboyd@star-telegram.com
Deanna Boyd, 817-390-7655

Newstex ID: KRTB-0070-18487414


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