Snacks strewn around the McKay Booster Club concession area following a weekend burglary. (Courtesy/Stephanie Mentado)
A thief stole about $1,200 of concessions from the McKay Booster Club over the weekend after cutting multiple locks to get into the stand.
Angela Saar, the club treasurer, said about 10 cases of water and Gatorade were stolen.
“They were all dumped out in our garbage can, so that they could take the bottles to a redemption center for the refund,” Saar wrote in a Facebook message.
Nine flats of chips, three large bags of jerky and candy, and a box of soccer socks were also stolen.
The club sells snacks and drinks at sporting events, with proceeds going to the school’s extracurricular programs. They also redeem bottles and use the funds to support their mission, typically earning $35 to $50 per game, Saar said.
Saar said the theft happened sometime after McKay’s Friday night football game.
The stand closed at 10:30 p.m. Friday, and volunteers discovered the theft around 11 a.m. Saturday after coming in for the youth football game and reported it to Salem police.
Saar said the thief broke through a gate, then cut a lock on the stand’s rolling metal window to steal the merchandise. The stand has been fixed with a padlock on the inside of the metal to avoid future theft.
The thief also broke into a ticket booth, where nothing was kept, and a shed to take the soccer socks, Saar said.
The booster club has insurance, but Saar said they need to research the deductible on the plan to decide whether filing a claim would be worth it. For now, they’ve asked for contributions on Facebook.
Salem police are investigating, but have no leads, spokesman Lt. Treven Upkes said. The amount stolen would make the burglary a felony, he said.
The concession stand will also be open Monday and Tuesday during regular sporting events for anyone who wants to make a purchase or contribution, Saar said.
This story has been updated with additional details from Salem police.
Got a tip? Reporter Rachel Alexander: [email protected] or 503-575-1241.
