After a series of break-ins at the Salvation Army in East St. Louis this year — leading the social service provider to temporarily shut down its food pantry — leaders are hoping volunteers can help restore the location.

Thirteen break-ins over the last several months have left the Metro East location with 15 shattered windows, a handful of broken doors and trashed rooms.

The decision to close the food pantry, which serves an estimated 60 people per week in East St. Louis, wasn’t easy, said Salvation Army Capt. Kenneth Jones.

“This is a resource that the community needs,” Jones said. “Some families depend on these resources every week and every month. I knew that if we shut it down, it meant that we would have to deny those people those services.”

In hopes of restoring the location an

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