A homeless charity are appealing for the return of a stolen van that they heavily rely on.
A white Ford Transit van was stolen from Emmaus Salford’s Pendleton community base on Monday evening.
The large, white Ford Transit box van had green Emmaus Salford stickers on the sides and back.
The charity which supports 25 formerly homeless people by providing a stable home and meaningful work used two vans to carry out their service.
The vans were used to collect and deliver furniture for Emmaus Salford’s charity shops, and to also deliver food and household essentials to vulnerable residents across Salford.
Christmas time is a typically the busiest for outreach services such as Emmaus Salford and the theft means there is added pressure for staff to support the vulnerable people of Salford with just one van left.
Rachel Richardson, Community Director at Emmaus Salford, said: “We were all devastated to find the van had been stolen from our community home.
“The timing couldn’t have been any worse as we try to catch up on collections after lockdown and getting ready to deliver Christmas food hampers to our 200 Lucie’s Pantry members.
“I urge everyone to keep a look out and call the Police on 101 if you have any information which may help us find our missing van.”
The theft leaves the charity with just one van and since lockdown was lifted the charity have been busy collecting donations and carrying out furniture deliveries from Emmaus Salford’s three charity shops.
It was also used by volunteers at Lucie’s Pantry social supermarket to deliver food and household items to members of the pantry, many of whom are struggling to make ends meet through debt, illness or low income.
Anyone who has spotted the van or has any information is urged to call the Police on 101 and quote crime reference number CRI/06FF/0026816/20.
To donate to Emmaus Salford this Christmas please visit: https://emmaus.org.uk/salford/support-us/donate
