The chief executive and founder of a charity aiding asylum seekers in Melbourne has issued a tearful plea after the organisation was targeted by thieves for a second time in a matter of days.
Kon Karapanagiotidis, who runs the Asylum Seeker Resource Centre (ASRC), said the non-profit’s Footscray site had been broken into twice within the last 48 hours.
He first shared the devastating news in an emotional video posted to X today.
“I’ve been here since 4am this morning, we’ve had doors kicked in, glass broken,” he told 9news.com.au.
“Over those two days we’ve had laptops stolen, nappies, sleeping bags, thousands of dollars worth of pre-paid Myki cards and had emergency packs stolen.
“The place has been turned upside down.”
Since 2001, the ASRC has been providing food to asylum seekers in need, as well as helping them seek refugee status and employment.
Karapanagiotidis said the charity had seen a 50 per cent increase in demand for its foodbank services in the six months leading up to Christmas.
He estimates the burglaries would likely set them back tens of thousands of dollars, not just in stolen goods, but also repairs and security upgrades.
“At the end of the day we’re just going to have to dive into our savings,” he said.
“We can’t afford to stay closed, we have over 7000 people relying on us.”
Karapanagiotidis has handed over CCTV to police to investigate but in the meantime, he’s holding compassion for the people responsible.
“I know there are so many Australians doing it tough right now in this cost of living crisis. I’m trying to remain compassionate,” he said.
“But who robs a charity? Especially twice?
“[The burglaries] have taken from the mouths of families, that’s what makes it so painful.”
Karapanagiotidis is appealing to anyone who is able to donate to do so via the ASRC website or drop off food directly at their donation locations.
9news.com.au has contacted Victoria Police for comment.
