UPDATE: Stolen trailer emptied of donated goods found in North Minneapolis
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UPDATE: A trailer of donations stolen from a North Minneapolis neighborhood Monday has been found, however, it was emptied of its donated goods.
John Martin, who talked with 5 EYEWITNESS NEWS, said a woman saw the news and noticed the trailer on her block on Thomas Avenue. She called Martin and police were notified.
Martin said the emptied trailer was also badly damaged.
The GoFundMe page remains in place to support.
Police are looking for a trailer full of donations stolen from a Minneapolis neighborhood Monday.
"It makes me want to cry that I can't be able to get out and help the people that I want to help today," said John Martin, who runs a group called Parent to Parent.
The group has been distributing items to families in need in North Minneapolis.
Martin said the group had spent the weekend collecting food, household supplies and diapers, which were being stored in a trailer lent to them by a church.
He said the trailer was parked outside his home near the intersection of North 29th Avenue and North Fourth Street in Minneapolis. He said it was likely stolen sometime between 1 a.m. and 6 a.m. Monday.
"We woke up this morning and the trailer was gone," Martin said. "All the supplies, the donations we collected to be able to feed the people in the community, it was all gone."
He said Parent to Parent had been hosting pop-up distribution sites to help communities whose local stores were shut down due to the riots and pandemic.
"We have no stores around here, we have no bank, we have no pharmacy, so every little bit helps," Martin said. "We just try to do a good deed in this community and this is what happened, taking from the needy. It's very sad, so hopefully they have a heart to return the trailer."
A spokesperson for Minneapolis Police Department said they are investigating and do not have anyone in custody yet.
In the meantime, Martin said he will continue helping his neighbors by collecting and distributing supplies in any way possible.
"They just got robbed and now they need more supplies than ever since what they had has been taken," said Sally McGraw, who dropped off donations just hours after the theft.
"Hopefully that we can rebuild," Martin added. "We can start all over again and we're not going to let this stop us. We're going to continue to do what we do."
If you would like to help Parent to Parent, contact John Martin by phone at (763) 464-4692 or by email at johnmartinc1970@gmail.com.
A GoFundMe page has been set up to support.