EL CAJON, Calif. (KGTV) - Boy Scout Troop 363 has been meeting at the Elks Lodge off West Washington in El Cajon for about 35 years: as long as they’ve stored two trailers in their parking lot.
One of the trailers is used to store all of their equipment for their monthly camping trips. The other, a trailer full of supplies for their annual Christmas Tree Fundraiser held in November.
In June, their camping gear trailer was stolen out of the lot. They went to check the surveillance cameras in the area.
Troop Committee Treasurer Julia Flood told 10News, “The one camera that's on this side of the building was cut."
With no leads on who might have stolen the trailer, the Boy Scouts decided to collect personal camping gear to continue their trips.
A few weeks later, the second trailer, stored in the same lot, was also stolen. The boys' main fundraiser, which raises close to $15,000 annually, was their only hope to replace the stolen items the first time.
"Our hopes was that by the time we had our Christmas fundraiser we’d be able to recoup some of that loss, now they’ve taken our only means we had to try and recoup," said Flood.
The Scouts set up a GoFundMe Page asking for $10,000. They say that’s how much it will cost to replace both trailers and everything that was inside.
In the meantime, they’re just hoping to raise part of that money so they can continue to hold their Christmas Tree Fundraiser a few weeks away.
"It’s a wonderful start for us so we can get back on our feet and move forward and continue to earn on our own,” Flood said.
