Thief steals church food for the needy

ATLANTA - Holy Comforter Episcopal Church has been barraged with a rash of break-ins by a thief targeting food for the poor.

"He breaks in to steal food," says Rev. Alexis Chase. "He's stolen a ham casserole, giant plate of brownies, cupcakes," she says.

Holy Comforter Episcopal Church serves 20,000 meals to needy people a year through their Friendship Center in their dining hall.

The reverend says the thief has stolen food for hundreds of people, and also caused thousands of dollars in damage. The church has not fixed its most recent busted window because of costs.

A church van was also recently broken into and vandalized.

The church believes it knows the thief and has fed him in the dining hall before.

"We've added him to our prayer list. We want him to get the treatment he needs," Rev. Chase says.

Atlanta Police are working to find the culprit and link him to similar crimes in the neighborhood.

Little Azio pizza down the street has suffered numerous break-ins, where a thief has notoriously stolen brownies and pepperoni.