Church volunteers discovered the sticky mess that was left behind on Wednesday morning.
It was a nasty surprise for the rector’s warden Jan Roberts, who has been planning to come down to empty the full food bin and deliver the contents to the Guernsey Welfare Service, so that it could be used in the food bank for those in need.
‘I was very excited to take it to the food bank because it was a generous gift,’ she said of the coffee.
‘But it was really sticky on the floor.
‘I didn’t believe it was just coffee granules.’
Although the church itself is locked each afternoon at about 3pm, the porch has been left unlocked around the clock.
Mrs Roberts contacted one of the church cleaners, who came along and used hot water and a scourer to clean the paving slab floor.
‘As vandalism goes, this is not a major issue and we won’t involve insurers,’ said Mrs Roberts.
‘But it is not an isolated incident and also meant that our donation to the welfare food bank was two items short.’
The type of coffee which was damaged would normally cost about £4 a jar.
Previously someone had scattered cornflakes over the floor.
‘I’d like to think that whoever did it will reflect on the consequences of their actions,’ Mrs Roberts said.
Guernsey Welfare Service operates the largest foodbank in Guernsey to support those struggling.
Coffee is listed as one of its regularly-used items.
It is known that groups of young people often hang out in the car park just below the church in the evenings.
Parish priest in charge the Rt Rev. Nick Drayson said the latest incident would lead to a conversation about CCTV in the porch, or outside on the paths, which are frequently used by pedestrians to avoid walking down the narrow top section of Rectory Hill.
While Mrs Roberts said that most of what goes into the bin is taken to Guernsey Welfare Service, parishioners in need are also able to take things from it.
She hoped that by publicising this incident more people would be made aware of this facility being available.
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