FOOD donations intended to help families struggling on the breadline have been stolen from a church.

Patcham Methodist Church was broken in to on Monday night and the large box of donations, which the congregation has been collecting for a month, was snatched along with audio equipment and a TV.

Minister Dermot Thornberry said: “Thieves broke in through a window and ransacked the building.

“It was heartbreaking to discover that all the non perishable food donations which had been collected for Off the Fence charity had been taken.

“This was stealing from those who really needed such help especially in such lean times.”

Rev Thornberry’s wife Charlene said: “We are really upset about this. There was a large box of non-perishable food items that the congregation have been collecting.

“Everyone will be devastated to know that their sacrifices have not gone to those they intended.

“People see the church as a place of sanctuary, somewhere safe to go, but do we now need to secure it more so that things like this don’t happen? We feel two emotions.

“Maybe the individuals who did this needed to feed their family and maybe they sold the equipment to put food on the table. I don’t think so but in any case they must have been desperate, but it is stilll very sad for us.

“Our church welcomes everybody, but the sanctuary of our church has been violated

“I just hope the person who has done this has a quiet moment to think ‘did I need to do this?’.”

Police are investigating and nearby La Tana Italian restaurant is checking its CCTV.