Seven broken windows leave Herriman's Compassion Community Center unable to operate as Thanksgiving nears

HERRIMAN — Vandals broke seven windows on a bus the Compassion Community Center planned to use for food donations, and the Herriman nonprofit has paused many of its services while it works to find the money and labor to repair the vehicle, KUTV reported on Oct. 19 1.

The bus cannot be put to use until the windows are fixed. Once the repairs are complete, the center will still need to raise additional money to buy food and resume its services, according to the KUTV report 1. The center provides food, furniture and other essential items to families in need and relies on donations and volunteers 1.

Kristen Lemon, who helps with the center's efforts, told KUTV the damage landed on top of work the organization was already doing. "Now it just sets us back that much farther," she said 1. She described the center's routine in the same interview: a local store donated mattresses, and the center matched them to two families that needed them 1.

Lemon said the organization hopes to reopen before Thanksgiving. "For multiple years a lot of families have been relying on us for their Thanksgiving dinners," she said 1. She said learning of the damage was heartbreaking, and that she does not wish ill on whoever broke the windows. "I hope you pay it forward and do some kind of service to make up for it," she said 1. The center would welcome those responsible as volunteers, and they would not have to identify themselves, she said 1.

The center's reach in Herriman is not small. All West Fiber, in an announcement of its annual food-bank giving, said the center served and supported more than 20,000 individuals across Herriman and surrounding communities in 2025, through weekly food bank events, mentorship and support services, including a pop-up pantry that fed more than 200 families 2. The company described the center as operated by volunteers and said it was working toward securing a permanent building, with a children's craft program and a stronger mentor network among its plans for 2026 2.

All West's Jan. 20 announcement put its total giving at $4,500, distributed among food banks across its Utah and Wyoming service areas, and said the in-person presentation that year went to the Compassion Community Center in Herriman 2. The release lists the center among those recipients and does not attach a dollar figure to its share 2. Cortney Denison, whom All West identified as the center's executive director, said in that release that the donation would help "unify our community members to further help serve Herriman and surrounding communities in the upcoming year" 2.

The center has drawn on local partners before. In December 2024, Herriman Mayor Lorin Palmer and Redemption Bar & Grill owner Bryan Ellison partnered on the 3rd annual food drive for the center, and the Ellisons matched the food and money donations collected, KUTV reported at the time 3. Denison, then described as the center's food bank director, said the center would soon move to a bigger location and would offer more than food, citing an influx of Venezuelan immigrants who needed clothing, food, job opportunities and counseling 3.

The KUTV report did not say what the repairs are expected to cost, whether a police report was filed, or where readers can contribute toward the repair 1.

Sources: 1 KUTV, "Vandalism leaves Herriman Compassion Community Center unable to operate," Oct. 19, 2026 — https://kutv.com/news/local/vandalism-leaves-herriman-compassion-community-center-unable-to-operate 2 All West Communications, "All West Fiber Donates $4,500 to Support Local Food Banks," Jan. 20, 2026 — https://www.allwest.com/blog/all-west-fiber-donates-4500-to-support-local-food-banks/ 3 KUTV, "Community rallies in force as Herriman food drive collects donations for local pantry," Dec. 18, 2024 — https://kutv.com/features/pay-it-forward/community-rallies-in-force-as-herriman-food-drive-collects-donations-for-local-pantry