Break-in at Flour Shoppe Cafe sparks a pay-it-forward campaign

When Sean O’Donnell, co-owner and baker at Flour Shoppe Cafe, entered the store Sunday morning, April 19, something didn’t feel right.

It was 7 a.m., an hour before opening time. As he entered through the back door, he saw an individual inside the store. Immediately, O’Donnell thought he must’ve left the front door unlocked the night before and the man entered, thinking they were open. He turned on the lights.

“The man said he was hungry, he was looking for food, he would bake or cook…,” O’Donnell recalled. “I told him if he comes back, I’d make him some breakfast.”

O’Donnell convinced the man to leave, but as he followed him out to the front door, he saw that the door was completely shattered, and half-eaten food and drinks were strewn on the counters.

“He continued to crawl out of the door,” O’Donnell said, “But then, I wasn’t going to let him leave.”

An officer from the Rockville Centre Police Department came and arrested 50-year-old Monico Delarosa after receiving O’Donnell’s call at 7:04 a.m. Delarosa is homeless with no known address, but said he is from Hempstead, according to police records. Nassau County Police Department’s First Precinct charged him with burglary and criminal mischief.

As a result of the break-in, Flour Shoppe Cafe closed that day for a door replacement and a full sanitization of the store. Cams Sanitize offered their services for free. 

“We posted on Instagram and Facebook, with a photo, saying we weren't going to be open for Sunday brunch,” said co-owner Madison Kaer. “The outreach from customers was absolutely amazing. Three different customers reached out asking if we needed the store cleaned. [Cams Sanitize] wouldn't take a dollar for the cleaning.”

The shop reopened as usual on Wednesday, April 22, losing just one day of business — the shop is closed Mondays and Tuesdays — and roughly $50 to $60 worth of food that had to be thrown out after the man left the store. He’d also taken a Flour Shoppe T-shirt that was hanging on the wall, O’Donnell said. Additionally, they had to pay for a new door.

However, O’Donnell and Kaer are not focusing on their own losses. When reflecting on the incident, they decided to launch a “pay it forward” campaign to raise money and donate to local soup kitchens and homeless shelters.

“When it initially happened, there was an adrenaline rush,” Kaer said. “You don’t know what happened, you just know someone broke into the store, and it feels violating [because] this is like our home.

“But then it made us sad that there was someone who didn't have food [and resorted to this],” she continued. “For some people their biggest problem [right now] is they're bored but for this man he doesn't have anywhere to go or food to eat.”

The shop is open only for takeout and curbside pickups at this time, so many customers are calling in orders or ordering online. When a customer orders online, there is an option to add a “pay it forward” donation. At the end of each week, the shop will take all the donations and match them. So far, they have raised more than $2,000.

Kaer and O’Donnell told their story and announced the pay-it-forward campaign via Instagram and Facebook. They thanked the village police department, Solar Glass, Cams Sanitize, Minuteman Press of Rockville Centre and their customers for helping them re-open so quickly during already trying times.

“We’re both feeling very lucky and loved by our community,” Kaer said. “It’s turned something that could've been a terrible situation into something that made us feel wonderful and supported.”