Deer shatters window of Wilkinsburg non-profit organization

By Jessica Guay

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    WILKINSBURG, Pennsylvania (KDKA) — It’s not a normal sight to see a wild animal on Penn Avenue in Wilkinsburg, but a deer decided to wreak havoc on the busy road, leaving a non-profit organization with thousands of dollars in damages.

It was all caught on camera, and the community the nonprofit supports helped the organization pick up the pieces.

“My brain’s puzzled because I always told people those windows are bulletproof, they’re car accident-proof. We’ve seen it all on that intersection. So, like what in tarnation could have just made this glass just shatter?” said Marita Garrett, president and CEO of Civically Inc.

At first glance, it looked like a break-in happened at Civically Inc.’s office in Wilkinsburg. It was a Saturday morning in October and Garrett had just pulled up to Penn Avenue to open her nonprofit’s free store, Free Store Wilkinsburg. People who were waiting in line almost caught the culprit red-hooved.

“They were like you’re not going to believe it, but it was a deer. And I was like, a deer? Like, middle of downtown Wilkinsburg?” Garrett said.

Surveillance camera footage confirms it was indeed a deer. It nearly got hit by a car and kept darting across Penn Avenue before smashing into Civically’s window.

The buck didn’t hurt any humans, but he left evidence at the scene.

“You could still see the tufts of fur. Just equipment and glass and the papers, we had just ordered some printing materials — that was all gnarled in this mess. Like I tell everyone it looked like walking into CSI,” Garrett said.

Civically Inc. addresses the basic needs of community members and uses that to promote civic and community engagement. It is known for its free store, where it provides clothes and household goods to anyone at no cost. It also provides fresh produce for free at its fresh market.

Garrett said every dollar matters for small nonprofits, and the unexpected chaos the deer created put them in a tough situation.

“We are dependent on foundation and individual funding. So, you know, we don’t have $4,000. That’s what it came up, including the window estimate, replace some of the printing, window cleanup, some of the equipment,” she said.

People in the community stepped up to help the nonprofit pay for the repairs and donated about $2,600.

“I do have to really express my gratitude for the community and those who did support and donate and share. I really firmly believe you put out good, you do receive good,” Garrett said.

Now, Civically has a brand-new window that was recently installed. It can put the wild incident behind it and get back to focusing on helping people in need.

Garrett did call the police on the day of the chaos. Not to file charges against the deer, but to see if someone could help it if it was hurt. No word if the buck is still on the run.

“We received a guarantee that this new window is deer-proof. So, now that’s my question for everything, is this deer proof?” said Garrett.

Freestore Wilkinsburg is open the next two Saturday mornings, but Civically Inc. is still fundraising as its donation goal to cover repair costs is $4,000.

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