BANGOR, Maine — The seasonal piano concert and Christmas singalong at the Hammond Street Senior Center had ended and more than 40 members gathered for afternoon tea.
The tea bags were ready and waiting, but there was no hot water. There was no hot water, because the stove wouldn’t work. The stove wouldn’t work, because there was no gas running to it. There was no gas because, well, there was no gas tank.
A large exterior propane tank and regulator connected to the outside of the downtown building evidently was stolen sometime Wednesday before the event.
“We had all the teapots and tea cups lined up, and the red and green napkins and treats all set out. Everything looked so pretty and everyone was feeling so joyful. Then we turned on the burners, and nothing happened,” said Judy Santos, the center’s program and volunteer director and the organizer of the holiday concert and social tea. “We did the best to warm water between the microwave and a hot plate, but it certainly wasn’t the special holiday surprise our members were looking forward to or deserve. At least our tea wasn’t as cold as the hearts of whoever did this.”
The propane supplier replaced the tank later in the day, but not in time to salvage the tea.
“Stealing from the senior center? And during the holidays? I never thought in my life that something like this would happen to senior citizens,” said Bonnie Parent, a center member who was volunteering in the kitchen when the theft was discovered. “It’s shameful.”
Officials with the senior center, a nonprofit public charity that offers free programming to 2,250 members in Greater Bangor, filed a report with the Bangor Police Department, which is now investigating the theft. Anyone with information can contact the department at 947-7384.
Santos said the center will not have to pay for the tank or regulator, but whatever fuel was remaining in the tank is a loss. At $2.74 per gallon (the statewide average for propane), the loss could be in the hundreds of dollars.