Meals on Wheels truck stolen, recovered

In one of the most bizarre cases of auto theft we can remember recently, a Meals on Wheels truck was stolen yesterday morning from a northeast Houston apartment complex. It happened at about 8:30 a.m. as the truck was making its delivery to the Northwood Villas Apartments in the 5000 block of Aldine Mail Route; though the insulated truck was full of food, it was unclear why anyone would want to steal it. "It is frustrating. I can't imagine what they would do with that truck," David Roberts, director of senior nutrition services for Meals on Wheels, told the Chronicle. Apparently, the thieves felt the same way: Last night, the missing truck was found, undamaged and locked, at about 9 p.m. Police said they weren't able to get any fingerprints from the truck, so they're hoping someone will call Crime Stoppers (713.222.TIPS) with some information on the theft.

The local Meals on Wheels delivers hot meals to about 3,300 senior citizens in Houston each weekday, and the organization says it has about 1,000 people on a six-month waiting list to become part of the program. That made the potential loss of the truck even worse, Roberts said: “We try every day to bring a nutritious meal to seniors who need them; events like this distract time, focus, and money away from that goal." To donate to Meals on Wheels, visit www.houstonmealsonwheels.org.