201912.27
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Coffee cart stolen from nonprofit in Torrance days before Christmas

by in News

Louise Elliott couldn’t believe what she saw – or perhaps didn’t see – when she pulled into the parking lot of the future home of ICAN California Abilities Network in Torrance last week.

On Thursday night, Dec. 19, members of the nonprofit organization left a trailer containing a pop-up coffee cart in the parking lot behind the building on the corner of Sepulveda Boulevard and Vine Avenue. The lots three entrances had all been secured with chain and locks.

By Friday morning, Dec. 20, Elliott saw an empty lot and a lock on the ground. The trailer, containing the Hermosa Coffee Co. cart, was gone.

  • Employees through ICAN California Abilities Network stand with the nonprofit organizations coffee cart, Hermosa Coffee Co., before a recent event. The cart was recently stolen from a Torrance parking lot. (Courtesy of ICAN California Abilities Network)

  • A trailer that housed the Hermosa Coffee Co. coffee cart was stolen from a parking lot in Torrance after it was dropped off by workers Dec. 19. (Courtesy of ICAN California Abilities Network)

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  • Dane Wells, 26, poors a drink for a customer at a recent Hermosa Coffee Co. event. The portable cart was recently stolen from a Torrance parking lot. (Courtesy of ICAN California Abilities Network).

  • A trailer containing ICAN California Abilities Network’s custom built coffee cart was stolen from a parking lot behind the organization’s future home in the 2300 block of Sepulveda Boulevard in Torrance, Dec. 20. About 30 workers with developmental disabilities were operating the cart and serving customers before the theft. (Nathaniel Percy, Daily Breeze/SCNG)

  • The Hermosa Coffee Co. portable coffee cart, owned and operated by ICAN California Abilities Network, was stolen from a parking lot in Torrance sometime between late night Dec. 19 and early morning Dec. 20. (Courtesy of ICAN California Abilities Network)

  • Employees of the Hermosa Coffee Co. coffee cart pose for a photo before a recent shift. The cart is owned and operated by ICAN California Abilities Network, which employs people with developmental disabilities in order to give them working experience prior to finding a job in the workforce. (Courtesy of ICAN California Abilities Network)

  • A trailer containing ICAN California Abilities Network’s custom built coffee cart was stolen from a parking lot behind the organization’s future home in the 2300 block of Sepulveda Boulevard in Torrance, Dec. 20. About 30 workers with developmental disabilities were operating the cart and serving customers before the theft. (Nathaniel Percy, Daily Breeze/SCNG)

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Everyone was wondering how it was possible, the 43-year-old Elliott said. “I’m sure they took it without realizing what was in it.” More than $20,000 worth of equipment was stolen.

All that remained was a kegerator used for cold brew and kombucha, Elliott said, since it had been taken inside the building.

Torrance police received a call and took a report of the theft about 2 p.m. Friday afternoon, Sgt. Alexander Martinez said.

Detectives are investigating the case, but had no leads, Martinez said. A check for surveillance video in the area did not produce any evidence.

ICAN, currently based in Redondo Beach, aims to serve those with disabilities and provide them with life-skills training, supported employment and social programming, Elliott said. Since 2014, the program has seen at least 150 people with developmental disabilities get jobs with supported employment.

The organization started by offering summer camps in Hermosa Beach in 1975.

Scott and Louise Elliott began volunteering with the organization 25 years ago, she said. Scott Elliott was named director in 1996, according to its website.

The organization supports those with developmental disabilities who have completed school. They get client referrals from nearby regional centers.

Since 2017, the Hermosa Coffee Co. cart is one of the ways in which the nonprofit has provided clients with work experience and training. The coffee cart has popped up in various locations in the South Bay and Los Angeles – including local festivals like the Hermosa Beach Fair and the Renegade Fair in Los Angeles.

Workers get paid for the hours they operate the cart, which offers cold brew, kombucha, coffee, espresso and lattes at a couple of locations every week and at private events, Elliott said.

“They’ve taken it hard,” she said. “They thought the business was done.”

Some were left asking for a Christmas miracle.

“I asked Santa to help find it,” said Dane Wells, 26, who has worked the coffee cart and has enjoyed talking with its customers for four years.

Cheyne Smith, 24, of Torrance joined the coffee cart crew in September and he quickly developed a niche for crafting cold brew and kombucha.

Crew members made him feel welcomed immediately, he said.

“The best thing is making people smile,” Smith said. “I was shocked when I heard the news. I was devastated because there was a lot of stuff in there.”

Thanks to donations from the community, clients may be able to get back to work sooner than expected.

A GoFundMe page that was made shortly after the organization lost its cart had raised more than $27,500 as of Thursday afternoon.

Elliott wasn’t sure exactly when a new cart would be ready to go, but said Thursday that the organization was hoping to have a quicker version made in January.

“It’s amazing,” she said of the community support, “that and the words of encouragement just keep you going forward.”