Isaac was heartbroken after seeing the scary crook break into his foodbank (Picture: SWNS)
CCTV footage shows the moment a thief wearing a Halloween panda mask broke into and stole from a foodbank set up by a schoolboy.
Isaac Winfield was left heartbroken after the crook targeted his garden shed just days before his birthday last Monday.
The intruder was captured on security cameras prowling around the family property in Redditch, Worcestershire, wearing a black and white panda mask.
He stole £40 worth of food leaving the shelves bare and the kind-hearted boy devastated.
The youngster previously won the heart of the nation when he used his birthday money to launch his first foodbank during the pandemic.
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Police are trying to track down the criminal(Picture: Claire Chapman / SWNS)
CCTV shows the thief ransacking the shed(Picture: Claire Chapman / SWNS)
Isaac gathered donations of food and toiletries from local businesses and well-wishers which he then handed out to those in need of extra support.
He started his ‘Friend’s of Isaac’s Food Bank’ group on Facebook which went viral and now helps hundreds of families every week.
He has since successfully opened three more foodbanks in his hometown, but his mother says the latest theft has left him ‘crushed’.
His mum, Claire Chapman, 43, said: ‘When I realised what had happened, I dropped everything.
‘When I first looked at the CCTV, I thought it was Mickey Mouse in the shed, but when he turned around, it was this grotesque and creepy panda Halloween mask.
‘Isaac is absolutely crushed. It was his 12th birthday on Wednesday and all he asked for was a van full of food so he could continue giving back to the community.
‘We spread the word on social media, and we’ve had donations from all over the world, so he was really excited.
‘It’s just so wicked that someone could do this.’
Isaac Winfield, 11, became determined to help those in need after learning his school weren’t offering foodbank services in lockdown (Picture: Emma Trimble / SWNS)
The foodbank has evolved into a massive community effort (Picture: Emma Trimble/SWNS)
Claire said the CCTV showed the thief making two trips into the shed filling up bags of food and hanging around the family home for around 40 minutes.
She added: ‘This was an invasion of my home that’s left me feeling so vulnerable especially as Isaac could have woken up in the middle of the night and seen this scary man walking around the house.’
The youngster, who was born with a rare chromosome disorder, started the foodbank after learning that his new school didn’t accept food donations.
Claire said: ‘Isaac is an incredible boy who has overcome so much so to see this happen is just heartbreaking.
‘He has made 4,000 food parcels already this year and the work the food bank does is so vital for the community.
‘We work with families who spend each day counting the pennies.
Isaac started his first foodbank from a shed and got food delivered (Picture: SWNS)
‘We’re a lifeline and this will have a long-term impact as it will set us back in terms of opening more sites for the community.’
The incident comes after another shed owned by Friends of Isaac’s Food Bank at Moons Moat was also broken into between last Saturday night and Sunday morning.
Isaac said: ‘This man came into my foodbank and robbed it. He was wearing a scary panda mask. We had CCTV and my mum phoned the police.
‘I’m spending all my money for my fifth food bank on alarms for the rest of the foodbanks.’
A spokesperson for West Mercia Police said: ‘We received a report around 5.55pm on Monday evening (2 October) about a burglary at Greenlands Foodbank on Throckmorton Road in Redditch.
‘Officers attended the property to find food items had been taken.
‘Officers are now investigating and anybody with any information is asked to contact PC Merritt by email [email protected] or by calling 07890390745.’
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Isaac first started the foodbank during the pandemic and used his pocket money to set it up.