Larry Leonardo was in the habit of leaving food out for the hungry but in the process lost a $53,000 truck and another $30,000 in tools from his South Manteca Road ranch early Monday morning.

While the Leonardos live in Ripon, they continued to operate the ranch at the 23000 block of South Manteca Road where they had previously had the Leonardo Feed and Supply business.

A neighbor told them he had heard car doors slam about 1:30 a.m. Monday, but when he looked outside he did not see any lights.

Dina Leonardo said the red barn that had served as the feed store was entered and cleaned out by thieves.  She said they had their tools and power tools, many of which were kept stored neatly on peg boards, just for the taking.

The 2008 custom super duty F-350 Ford truck had been broken into three times in the past, she said.  A Honda generator and a 400-pound diesel steam cleaner and professional spray gun had apparently been loaded into the truck, she added.

Leonardo said the CHP took the report on the stolen truck and a sheriff’s deputy handled the loss of the tools from their shop building.

“They even took my gas can filled with gas for the weed eater,” she said.  “And they also took the food.”

The Leonardos are offering a $500 reward for information on the theft that would lead to an arrest and a conviction.  The Manteca Crime Stoppers is adding a reward of up to an additional $1,000 to identify those who are responsible in the thefts. The Crime Stoppers phone number is (209) 823-4636 (823-INFO). Callers do not have to give their names.