St. Kilian Parish is looking for information or a peaceful return after three bins filled with food were taken from its food pantry in Mars.

The Rev. Charles Bober, pastor at St. Kilian, said neither he nor the church are upset that the food is missing, but he hopes whoever took the bins will return them.

“We're not seeking to get anybody in trouble,” he said. “We just want the bins back so we can continue to use them for people that need food.”

The bins, Bober said, are used to store food that people in need can pick up throughout the day. He said each bin contains three “big, heavy” bags of non-perishable food. The bins are used to keep that food safe from nearby wildlife.

The pastor added that he hopes whoever took the bins was in need of the food and didn't understand they were being used to provide food to everyone. The Kilian Cupboard uses the parish hall at the intersection of Clark and Cherry Streets inside the former church home in Mars.

“If somebody was really hungry, and they had a very large family and they took all nine bags, that'd be fine. If they needed it, that's great,” he said. “But just leave the bins so they can replenish it and keep the food safe.”

Mars Mayor Gregg Hartung said he, too, hopes the taking of the bins was simply a misunderstanding.

“We're disappointed that something like this would happen under the current situation, but we're hoping it's someone who maybe didn't see the labels … that the containers were to stay there, and hopefully they'll return them,” Hartung said. “If not, we'll replace them because it's a desperate need right now.”

Until the church receives the bins back, it will have to — again — adjust the operation of its food pantry. Food will be kept in the picnic shelter by the soccer field in Cranberry Township, and those in need can contact St. Kilian church office to pick up or have the food delivered, he said.

If the bins are returned, the parish's food cupboard will return to its now-normal operation: bags of food will be put in the bins, which will be monitored and refilled regularly. Those in need can take what they need.

Bober said whoever took the bins, or whoever knows where they are, can return them by putting them on the steps of the former church in Mars.