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Homeless charity appeals for help to find van after it was stolen in Salford
A white Ford Transit van was stolen from Emmaus Salford’s Pendleton community base on Monday evening.
Emily Sergeant -
18th December 2020 
A homeless charity in Salford is appealing to the public for help after a van it relies heavily on was stolen from its community base earlier this week.
The white Ford Transit box van was stolen from Emmaus Salford’s Pendleton community base on Monday evening, and can be identified through its distinctive markings of green Emmaus Salford stickers on both the sides and back.
The stolen van is pictured above, with the registration plates beginning MF14.
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, but with Christmas time typically one of the busiest for outreach services such as Emmaus Salford, the theft of one of the vans means there is added pressure for staff to support the vulnerable people across the community.
The van 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.
This is why the charity is appealing to the public for any information that may help to locate the vehicle.
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.”
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.
Alternatively you can contact CrimeStoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.
You can also make donations to Emmaus Salford ahead of the festive season via its website here.
