CALGARY – A local charity is calling on Calgarians for help after thieves broke into its cargo van Monday night and damaged the vehicle so much it doesn’t work anymore.
Inn from the Cold, which, for almost 20 years has provided food, clothing and shelter to children and their families, suggests the culprits attempted to hot-wire the van, causing extensive damage.
“The van is critical to the Inn’s daily operations,” spokesperson Lynn Cox said.
The vehicle is used to pick up food from local food banks, assist families with moving from shelter to a home, collecting donations, delivering Christmas presents, and more.
In the meantime, ATB Financial has donated a small extra vehicle. In a press release Tuesday, the shelter said it’s grateful for the support but the vehicle is “not nearly to the scale and occasion we need.”
“We are trying to get the word out there to the generous Calgary community and would love to hear from anyone who can assist us with pro-bono repair or donation to help us replace the van as we don’t know the status of the damage as yet,” Cox said.
Police confirm they are investigating the break-in, which happened sometime between 4 p.m. and 8 a.m. in a downtown parking lot near the shelter.