Thieves Stole From Veteran Charity, Community Restores Hope

Miami Heat donates $20,000 of food to burglarized veteran center
WSVN News
Posted: Dec 10, 2015

OPA-LOCKA, Fla. (WSVN) -- A South Florida charity got a much needed hand from the Miami Heat basketball team, after thieves stole just about everything.

The generous team donated $20,000 worth of food to Make A Wish Veterans, Friday, after a break-in left the facility almost empty. "Once we heard about what happened to this Make A Wish Veteran facility, we wanted to come in right away and not only provide food for today's feeding but also give them enough food so that they aren't going to run out of food for quite some time," said Michael McCullough, Chief Marking Officer for the Miami Heat.

The crooks took off with TVs, computers and even food that was meant to go to hundreds of veterans. But the community showed the true spirit of the season and gave the center a helping hand.

The president of Make A Wish Veterans, Melinda Buford, showed 7News the areas the crooks targeted. "They done take everything out of here," she said. "No meat, no nothing in here."

The thieves broke into the non-profit's office in Opa-locka and emptied shelves and deep freezers that were full of food. The small charity that feeds 500 veterans weekly, was left with nothing until 7News viewers rose to the occasion, Thursday.
read more here