Thieves have dampened the festive mood at Emmaus Salford after stealing a van, one of only two that we rely on.

Emmaus Salford supports 25 formerly homeless people by providing a stable home, meaningful work and support for as long as they need it. The stolen van was not only used to collect and deliver furniture, it was also used to deliver food and household essentials to vulnerable residents across Salford.

We are appealing for help to find the van, stolen from our Pendleton community base on Monday night. The large, white Ford Transit box van had green Emmaus Salford stickers on the sides and back.

Please help

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.”

Since lockdown was lifted, the van was used daily to collect donations and to carry out furniture deliveries from our 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. Alternatively you can contact CrimeStoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.

If you would like to support Emmaus Salford this Christmas, you can make a donation online.