Valley Churches United Missions Targeted In Mail Theft
Michael Oppenheimer
Ben Lomond – April 14, 2016
Valley Churches United Missions’ Ben Lomond post office box was burglarized on Wednesday evening, April 13.
Because the nonprofit organization is in the midst of their annual Bucks for Hunger fundraising effort, it is assumed that donation checks may have been taken. The Bucks for Hunger brochure was mailed just last week, and it is clear that Valley Churches was specifically targeted, as no other post office box was broken into.
VCUM responded immediately and is working directly with the regional U. S. Postal Inspector and the Santa Cruz County Sheriff’s Department regarding this crime.
If members of the community mailed in a donation from Saturday, April 9 to Monday, April 11, 2016, they should call VCUM at 831-336-8258, extensions 228 or 229 so that receipt of their donation can be verified.
The public is advised that Valley Churches United Missions uses only an endorsement stamp on all checks before depositing them, so there should be no signature on the back. If a check has been fraudulently cashed, they should contact the U. S. Postal Inspection Service, Case Agent Inspector Henry Tagba at 408-938-4814. The Santa Cruz County Sheriff’s Department is also investigating this crime and can be reached at 831-454-7620, Case #1602932.
“Please be assured that VCUM is extremely diligent in keeping all donations secure and confidential and that this break-in was at the post office and not at our facility. In over 32 years, this has never happened to us, and we apologize to our donors for any inconvenience. As of today, the Ben Lomond Post Office is holding all of our mail, and nothing is going into the post office box,” said Lynn Robinson, VCUM’s Executive Director. “We’re beyond dismayed that anyone would steal from an organization that is all about helping people in need. Donations received from Bucks for Hunger fund our many services, and this theft is devastating to us. I sincerely want to thank everyone for their continued generosity and support.”
