Thieves steal scooter from Bay Ridge charity that donates pet food to seniors in need
Kiso's Pet Food Pantry helps seniors in Brooklyn and beyond feed their beloved pets, but now an unexpected theft has made their mission more complicated.
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Police are searching for a pair of crooks who swiped a scooter from a Bay Ridge charity.
Kiso's Pet Food Pantry helps seniors in Brooklyn and beyond feed their beloved pets, but now an unexpected theft has made their mission more complicated.
"There are certain times of the month when they will be sharing either their food with their pets or they'll be eating their pet's food, which obviously is bad for everybody,” said Michelle Giancola, founder of Kiso's Pet Food Pantry.
Giancola started the pantry three years ago. Since then, she and her dog Bear have helped hundreds of seniors using their trusty purple scooter to transport the pet food.
"Bear is 9 years old and the scooter came when he was 8 months old,” Giancola explained. “He's been riding it since then."
Last Wednesday around 10:30 p.m., surveillance video showed two thieves stealing the scooter from 90th between Ridge Boulevard and 3rd Avenue.
Now Giancola will rely on her car to pick up and drop off pet food, which she says is more challenging in Brooklyn where parking spots are difficult to find.
Anyone who recognizes the thieves or sees the scooter anywhere in the community, please call the NYPD.
As for Giancola, she's choosing to see the bright side.
"People now will know about this pantry,” she said. “They'll either sign up because they need pet food, which is why we do this, or they'll reach out to us to donate pet food and that's all that matters in the end. I'll buy a scooter somewhere down the line. It's just a thing, and the thing doesn't matter as much as what we do."
Their next pantry event is Sept. 20 at Good Shepherd Lutheran Church in Bay Ridge from 12:30 - 2 p.m.
Seniors can register online here.
