BUFFALO, N.Y. (WKBW) — A church community is asking for your help after they became the target of thieves over the weekend.
I learned that Buffalo Temple of God in Christ has dealt with thieves in the past but most recently, someone stole a large tent they had rented.
The church, located in Buffalo's Black Rock neighborhood, is raising money for a new security system and a new tent for the small, local rental company.
"The tent was placed here Friday evening," said Nelson Nagby, Buffalo Temple of God in Christ. "The cover, itself. Only that alone was left. The other thing, the scrap metals were taken."
The tent was taken one day before a fundraising event. The church had hoped the tent would protect guests from direct sunlight.
"We are a small church and to raise funds is very difficult," said Samuel Fears, Buffalo Temple of God in Christ.
The tent from Just In Case Party Rentals had a price tag of about $400 but will cost roughly $2,000 to replace it.
"What I believe happened is, it was stolen for scrap. Right here," said Justin Ferraraccio, Just In Case Party Rentals. "This is some of the pieces of what a tent would be. None was left because it's all valuable. The reason I say that is they left the top of the tent on the ground."
Ferraraccio said the last thing he wants to do is charge a church but the theft impacts his small business.
Fears said the church is dealing with a lot of trials and tribulations on top of this.
"We have elders, single parents, dropout children that the church also takes care of," said Fears. "We also look after people like immigrants that come in. The church helps them to shelter and sustain them, in terms of their wellbeing. The church is doing all those stuff. It's too much for the church right now."
This isn't the first time the church has had to deal with theft from its property.
"They break the door. It's a huge money. We have not even fixed it yet. We only maintained it by closing it some kind of way to keep close," said Nagby."We don't have money to do all of the things."
This prompted Ferraraccio to encourage the church leaders to create a GoFundMe.
"Just support the church. Hit that GoFundMe," said Ferraraccio. "I don't want anything other than my tent and to help these people."
The current goal of the GoFundMe is $10,000, which I'm told will cover the tent costs and add security cameras to the church's property.
