Resident Tessa Sears and business owner Harjit Toora say they wanted to speak out because they feel too much of the conversation around crime focuses on downtown.

"Shocked that of all places to break into to steal items, it would be of a free store that's serving families in poverty," said Shannon Christensen, CEO and founder.

Moreno Scatozza lives near the base of Knox Mountain in downtown's north end, where he says break-ins and thefts have become rampant in recent months.

'My wife woke me up and the whole street was covered in cop cars all over the place. They did have their guns drawn,' said neighbour Martin Stairs.

On Thursday, the City of Kelowna announced its latest response to the ongoing issues plaguing downtown: temporary overnight security patrols.