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Red Cross emergency kit stolen from Mesa church
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Jerry Van Rennes is a good guy. Rennes is a member of his church choir and a Red Cross volunteer, but multiple car burglaries that occurred Wednesday night outside the church he attends are making his life a bit tougher.
Rennes, 66, lost his emergency response kit that he needs when he responds to local disasters. Rennes is the mass care chair of the Grand Canyon chapter of the Red Cross.
“We’re responsible for opening shelters and mass feeding when there is a disaster call,” Rennes said.
Red Cross volunteers respond to local emergencies such as fires or natural disasters.
Volunteers such as Rennes assist families affected by disasters by providing a place to stay, as well as financial assistance for food and clothing, said Megan Morris, a public information officer for the Red Cross.
Rennes found his kit had been stolen Wednesday night outside of St. Matthews United Methodist Church at 2540 W. Baseline Road in Mesa.
“This isn’t the church’s fault, but I’m appalled that churches are being hit,” said Rennes. He said the church experienced similar problems years ago and hired security guards.
However, David Alberts, senior pastor at the church, said that burglaries were not a recurring problem.
Now, with the theft of his kit Rennes has lost equipment and items that are crucial to helping him respond to disasters in a timely manner.
“The monetary value of the bag is less than $5 dollars, but the real impact is that if a shelter was needed, it would delay us by one to three hours ... for people standing out in the rain, that’s a long time,” Rennes said.
Rennes asked that anyone with information please return the bag to the Red Cross “no questions asked.”
He described the bag as black with handles and a shoulder strap. The bag also has the logo “AZ Emergency Services Association” and the acronym “AESA.” It contains papers with management contacts, forms and other information, said Rennes. He added that while he was able to restore some of his missing information, other documents can’t be so easily replaced.
Red Cross officials said the loss couldn’t have happened to a nicer guy.
“Jerry is one of the most dedicated and knowledgeable people I’ve met,” Morris said. He’s “very committed to the Red Cross mission and helping people.”
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