Volunteers at the Okotoks Food Bank woke up Thursday morning to find their truck’s catalytic converter had been stolen.
Food bank executive director Bente Yanota said the news came as a shock when they found out their large truck had been targeted in the theft on Oct. 1.
“You would assume if it says food bank, someone would maybe choose not to steal from that particular vehicle, but that was not the case,” she said.
According to Yanota, the truck was being kept at a secure facility with security measures in place when the theft occurred.
Based on what they know so far, she said whoever did the crime wenr underneath the truck and sawed off the converter in two places.
“We had kept it somewhere pretty secure, at kind of an inconvenience to us because it was a little bit further away from the food bank, hoping to deter anybody from trying to do this. And then the fact that it still happened was a little bit unsettling,” she said.
The food bank has since filed a police report and is currently working through insurance to resolve the issue.
In the meantime, the food bank has arranged to rent another truck so it can continue its regular pickups.
“We do rely on these pickups that we do five days a week, and our amazing volunteers that spend their mornings doing this for us,” Yanota said.
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According to Great West Cars for Cash, a catalytic converter in Calgary is typically worth between $100 and $1,800 in 2026, depending on the vehicle make and model.
The company also says the price can be even higher for trucks since their converters tend to contain more of the precious metals that make the parts valuable, including platinum, palladium and rhodium.
Yanota said she didn’t know much about catalytic converters until the incident, but has since had to learn more about them.
She even mentioned the possibility of etching a vehicle’s VIN into the converter as a further preventative measure going forward.
“All these little things you just have to start thinking about that you wouldn’t have normally,” Yanota said.
In the meantime, Yanota said the Okotoks Food Bank will continue business as usual while it waits for its truck to be fixed.
The food bank is set to receive a rented replacement truck next week.
It will also continue collecting its regular donations as it begins preparing its Christmas hamper campaigns.
“Things happen and you just kind of keep moving on. We’re very fortunate to have so many great people that help us every day at the food bank that kind of pitch in and help us, you know, find another truck and all that stuff so we can keep going.”
