Thieves cleaned out the storage locker of the South Bay Clean Creeks Coalition, making off with $500-$600 worth of assorted tools, food, packs and even an air compressor.

The theft took place over the June 17-18 weekend, according to coalition founder Steve Holmes.

“My intern went over and noticed that we had a shed inside the storage area and someone busted the lock off,” Holmes said in an interview. “They just picked through all of our stuff.”

Several pairs of bolt cutters and an air compressor used to fill cart tires were among the items stolen, as well as team leader packs filled with first-aid kits and food items handed out to volunteers at creek cleanups.

“They took the packs to put all the stuff in so they could climb back out,” Holmes said, adding that the thieves probably got in by scaling over a fence.

He said the storage area also was vandalized with graffiti.

Besides the challenge of replacing the stolen tools with a limited budget, Holmes said he’s worried they can be used for criminal activity.

“One of the things that’s scary for the community is they probably stole four sets of the bolt cutters, and we had a pretty robust pair in there,” he added. “These guys are thieves, and the last thing they need are those sort of tools in their hands. That’s not good for the community.”

With so much of the coalition’s equipment gone, fewer local waterways will be cleaned until replacement tools can be obtained.

“This is a setback, and we’re trying to ramp up,” Holmes said. “And at the time we’re trying to ramp up, we’re getting hit with something that impacts our ability to be at multiple sites.”

As a result, only two sites are planned for the group’s next cleanup in July, but “hopefully in September we’ll be back online with multiple sites beyond two,” he added.

He said the donations already coming in from the public to buy new tools should help.

“We’ve been running this on a shoestring budget,” Holmes said. “When people come in and hit you up like this, we’re not going to have a huge war chest of money to replace those things, so it was nice to see a couple of people contribute.”

Holmes said a police report was filed, but no leads have been reported so far.

To donate to South Bay Clean Creeks Coalition, visit sbcleancreeks.myevent.com.