The Koonter boys have been selling pumpkins to raise tuition money for a decade. This years crop isn't going to help much due to thieves.
Zachary, Calvin, and Cameron Koonter are use to a few pumpkins disappearing every fall.
"Usually about one or two or just if they cant pay they just grab enough for their family and leave with that", said Zachary Koonter.
But this was on another level, close to 30 pumpkins were stolen overnight.
"We took my little brothers out to get on the bus and when we did that we noticed that our trailer, which one one full layer, was taken down to a third of a layer and there was no more money left in the box", said Zachary.
The boys plant, harvest, and sell the pumpkins themselves to help save for college. Their parents are frustrated at seeing their hard work go to waste.
"They are like every other kid, they are chasing sports nonstop. When they do get an extra ten minutes they've got to run down to the pumpkin patch and they're constantly picking pumpkins, hauling them back, keeping the wagons stocked up. To think that somebody would just stop in and steal that amount from a bunch of kids is very disheartening", said Mark Koonter, father of the three boys.
The boys believe someone stole the pumpkins last Wednesday and use a truck or a trailer to take the pumpkins off the property. Now since this isn't the first time this has happened, the family has been forced to set up a camera system to monitor the patch throughout the night.
Despite the thefts, the boys are thankful for all the support the community has given them over the last ten years.
"it makes me feel good because every year if I am out here ill see the same people that just...support us", said Cameron Koonter.
"I would like to just say thanks to everybody that comes out and helps us and helps me and my brothers pay for college and rewards our hardwork" , said Zachary.
The Koonters wanted to emphasize they are not looking for charity or a handout, they just want the thefts to stop.
