2 men distract 92-year-old food bank owner, steal car

GASTONIA, N.C. — Two men scammed a 92-year-old woman running a Gastonia food bank by stealing her car and some of the store’s provisions, officials said.

Dorothy Lowery has been operating Blessings Received Each Day, Inc., also known as BREAD, Inc., for 20 years, and she has a reputation of feeding anyone in need even if the doors were closed

Lowery has a reputation of feeding anyone in need even if the doors of BREAD Inc. were closed.

She believes the two men knew that and that's how they took advantage of her.

"Nothing like this had ever happened," Lowery said.

[LINK: BREAD, Inc.]

She, nevertheless, has compassion for the thieves.

"I love them and I'm not mad. I'm just hurt," she said.

[ALSO READ: Second Harvest Food Bank hosts mobile food pantry to help those in need]

Two young men entered the food bank three weeks ago begging for food and Lowery said she let them in.

"He said, ‘That looks good. Can I have one?' And I said, ‘Son, you can have two.' I gave him two and I said, 'Get two for your friend,'" Lowery said.

She didn't know that the second man grabbed her car keys and went outside.

People unloading donated food in the back saw him and ran to Lowery to tell her the man sped off with her car.

The other thief fled with the food she gave him.

Police later found the car out of gas in Shelby with evidence of drug use inside.

The words, "God loves you because God is love" were scraped off the back window.

Lowery has little concern for herself.

"I'm tough," she said.

Lowery said she wants a better life for them.

"I worry about the boys because they are young and they can really go places in life," she said.

Lowery hasn't stopped her mission to help those in need, but they are adding new security measures.

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Cox Media Group