Since its inception, the Granite School District Foundation has championed various programs, initiatives and drives to help students and families in need. Like most charitable institutions, during the 2023 holiday season, the Granite Foundation was knee deep in its philanthropic efforts, gathering clothes and toys for children in need. 

Their work was successful, leading to the collection of a substantial amount of goods. With Christmas rapidly approaching, the foundation was right on the precipice of offloading these donations to families. Unfortunately, many of these donations would never make it to the homes of the children who needed them after the foundation was burglarized, resulting in a loss of thousands of dollars’ worth of merchandise.

To add insult to injury, the goods were stolen from the Granite Foundation’s 2500 S. State Street distribution center on Christmas Eve, leaving the foundation with a sizable dent in their inventory and no conceivable way to immediately remedy the issue. According to Chief Executive Director Jadee Talbot, the thieves managed to break in by puncturing glass on the front door using a rock. It was ultimately the neighbors who noticed the broken glass, before subsequently phoning in the suspicious scene to police.

The thieves stole a variety of items, including essential winter clothing and a substantial number of toys. “[They] took a lot of clothing, a lot of winter clothing, and unfortunately, some toys and fun things that we had set aside for kids in our district,” Talbot said. Talbot  explained that the thieves managed to walk away with an estimated $50,000 worth of clothing and toys.

Not only did the thieves pocket a significant amount of goods, but they apparently left the warehouse a mess. The warehouse doors were damaged, as were multiple pertinent electronics. Notably, wires that are instrumental for Wi-Fi connection and other critical electrical setups, were left destroyed. The damages racked up to over $50,000. The destruction of property prevented employees from doing the daily work that helps keep the operation running. 

“It takes us away from our day-to-day operations of serving those students that need,” Talbot said. The Granite Foundation serves over 58,000 students, solidifying it as a fixture in the community. Moreover, half of the students enrolled in the Granite School District qualify for free and reduced lunch. Organizations like the Granite Foundation, and the philanthropic work that they do, are integral for at-risk and underrepresented children in the community. 

“You would hope that [the robbers] didn’t know who they were taking it from,” Talbot said. “It hurts the kids; it hurts the teachers.”

During the weeks leading up to Christmas, volunteers and donors worked sourcing, gathering and stocking items. According to Talbot, they went above and beyond, knowing that in the end, their hard work would result in making the holiday season a bit brighter for children who may otherwise receive nothing or very little on Christmas Day.

“When you take a step back, and you think, that’s who ultimately pays the price for this, are these kids in need but also, the volunteers and donors that give so much time, money, effort, energy, love,” Talbot said.

According to Talbot, at the time of the robbery, the distribution center was well stocked with items, including an entire section’s worth of winter clothing. The thieves wasted no time gathering these items, leaving the shelves stripped bare. 

This isn’t the first time that the foundation has faced burglary. Within just five months, the distribution center has been burglarized on three different occasions. Although, this most recent Christmas Eve break-in was the most severe in terms of finances. Tired of dealing with pervasive robberies, the Granite Foundation has decided to move locations.

In the weeks that followed the break-in, the Granite Foundation attempted to recoup the lost items by once again, sourcing donations from the public. Many in the community were eager to help after the break-in made headlines on local news channels. 

In February, several local institutions including Real Salt Lake and Utah Royals FC stepped in to help bridge the gap. Kyle Schroeder, the vice president of Community Relations for Real Salt Lake and the Utah Royals was inspired to offer aid after reading about the incident. 

"We teamed up with our partners America First Credit Union to donate 650 pairs of shoes, some RSL jerseys, some blankets, some hats and other merchandise that we had to make sure that their warehouse was whole and that their students had what they need to be successful in the classroom," Schroeder said.

The donation provided by Real and the Royals was game changing, but even so, those involved wanted to do more, prompting a large group of players from both aforementioned teams to step forward and offer their time. Employees from America First Credit Union were also present for volunteer work.

Andrew Brody, a defender for Real, felt it was important for these teams to give back. 

 "The community supports us each and every weekend, and they're a huge part of our success over the years,” Brody said. “So, any time we can get out here and repay them, it's amazing." λ