An Abbotsford charity is grappling with a vacation shock it says will put a serious dent in its work serving to ladies and kids escape violence in Mexico.
As part of its work, Casa de Luz Ministries collects donations in Canada and ships as many as 5 full semi-trailers of things to Mexico to help susceptible households.
Packed into these vehicles are every thing from meals to business cooking tools to clothes and development provides.
However early Saturday morning, somebody stole a crucial software it makes use of for that work: a big trailer the ministry makes use of to spherical up these donations.
“With out the trailer, it simply prices us extra money,” he mentioned.
“Now we have a donation up in Kamloops of 4 skids of brand-new garments we had been going to ship down there, and now we are able to’t go get it — so we’re going to need to get a business service to convey it down.”
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The thieves struck at a time when B.C. charities are already struggling.
With postal employees on strike, donations by way of the mail are frozen and Stephens estimated the charity is down about 37 per cent in fundraising over 2023.
“We’re attempting to pivot and lift that cash … and you then see somebody come at take one thing that doesn’t belong to them,” he mentioned.
Safety cameras captured the thieves in motion. The video exhibits two individuals in a gray Ford pickup truck pull as much as the trailer the place it was parked, hook it up, and drive away.
The thieves had been in a position to smash a hitch lock off the trailer earlier than stealing it.
Abbotsford police are investigating, and say they’re working to find out whether or not the truck used within the theft was additionally stolen.
APD spokesperson Sgt. Paul Walker mentioned the theft might have been against the law of alternative.
“They most likely noticed that as a second of alternative in an industrial space that’s not staffed at the moment of evening and took benefit of that,” he mentioned.
Stephens estimated the trailer is price between $15,000 and $20,000, cash he now fears will come out of the charity’s backside line.
“When you equate that to meals, for our youngsters down there and our households, could be 6,000 to 7,000 meals we’re going to have to determine how you can substitute,” he mentioned.
“Each time you’re taking one thing that doesn’t belong to you, you’re hurting somebody. this one occurs to be hurting in a giant method.”
Stephens added that the trailer has remnants of the phrase “freestyle” on the again, one thing he hopes will assist somebody establish it and report it to police.
Within the meantime, the charity is hoping donors will step up to help it meet the wants of their purchasers.
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