Herriman pantry nonprofit skipped a police report and is raising money to repair its vandalized bus

The Compassion Community Center decided not to report the damage to its bus to police, Kristen Lemon told Fox 13 in a report published Oct. 21 1. "I actually don't want anybody to get in trouble; I just want people to know that it's not okay to vandalize things," she said 1.

The white bus, parked at Salt Lake Academy, was meant to serve as the center's mobile pantry. Lemon said finding a vehicle that fit the donations the center had received was difficult 1.

The center was started by Sam Gibbs, executive director at Salt Lake Academy Schools, which houses the bus and the center's other supplies 1. Gibbs said the bus had been parked where the school's cameras do not reach, so he could not identify who damaged it, and that it has since been moved to a more visible spot 1.

The repair now competes with food for the center's money. "Money that we had set aside for other things and to pay for other things now has to be put into this glass repair, and so it's just putting us that much farther back," Lemon said. "And eventually, that money would have went to the food." 1

The center is asking for donations, volunteers and fundraising help to get the bus running by Thanksgiving, and published a PayPal link for monetary donations; it said food donations are also welcome 1. "Although the broken windows have been an unexpected setback, our mission hasn't changed," the center said 1.

The Ledger reported on Oct. 20, citing KUTV, that seven windows had been broken and that the center had paused much of its work while it looked for the money and labor to repair the vehicle 2.

Neither report said what the repairs will cost 12.