Firefighters responded early on Nov. 4 to the facility at 2802 Dairy Drive to find shattered glass and a box truck on fire. Bricks, rocks and grocery carts had been thrown at three vehicles and several glass doors and windows of the building, according to the nonprofit.

No arrests have been made. The Madison Police Department is investigating whether the incident is connected to a recent string of copper and scrap metal thefts on Madison's east side near Dutch Mill Road that had also targeted Second Harvest. On Oct. 25, the nonprofit's refrigeration unit and compressor were damaged when copper coils were removed, police said.

Stephanie Fryer, a Police Department spokesperson, said officers are conducting "proactive patrols" overnight in the area while determining whether the latest incident is connected to the earlier burglaries. Police reported finding copper wire in the back of the burned truck during an initial investigation, but Second Harvest said it had not identified any stolen property.

In a Nov. 4 statement, Second Harvest said its focus was on supporting its team, restoring operations and continuing its mission. "While the motivation behind this incident remains unknown, our focus is on supporting our team, restoring operations, and continuing our mission," the organization wrote. "We are grateful for the outpouring of support and remain committed to keeping food moving across our 16-county service area."

The damage prompted Second Harvest to suspend volunteer shifts for three days, but those shifts have now resumed, according to Kris Tazelaar, the nonprofit's media and public relations manager. Tazelaar said the organization adjusted its delivery routes to account for reduced fleet capacity because one of the trucks sustained fire damage and was impounded for further investigation by Madison Police.

Since resuming operations this week, Second Harvest on Tuesday delivered more than 112,000 pounds of food to its partners across the 16 counties it serves, including Dane County.

"There were no communities that went unserved as a result of this incident," Tazelaar wrote in an email.

The temporary cancellation of volunteer shifts led Second Harvest to re-strategize its approach to hunger relief. Volunteers typically repackage bulk food into family-size portions or label donated product, and the suspension of that work had a short-term impact on the amount of certain types of food available to its network. To address the shortage, the nonprofit purchased additional food that did not require volunteer processing, Tazelaar said.

Initial cleanup has been completed, but the destroyed doors and windows are still awaiting repairs and are temporarily covered with plywood, according to Tazelaar. Second Harvest is working with its insurance provider to determine repair costs for the building and vehicle fleet, a process he expects to continue for at least several weeks.

Second Harvest began in 1986 with the mission of supporting residents of southwestern Wisconsin experiencing food insecurity. As of last year, the nonprofit reports providing over 300 million pounds of food since its opening.