By JESSE GRAHAM
A LILYDALE homelessness charity is asking for urgent donations to help replace their van, which was stolen along with thousands of dollars in equipment earlier this year.
Lilydale’s Holy Fools was the victim of a burglary on the weekend of 22-23 March, where computers, phones, supplies for homeless people and the charity’s van were all stolen.
After over a month of police investigations and public sightings of the van, it was a bittersweet experience for CEO, Neal Taylor, when the van was discovered late last month – only spray-painted and damaged beyond repair.
He said the charity was now waiting to hear back from their insurance company about a payout to replace what was stolen, but that the charity urgently needed to replace their van.
“We’re coping, but it’s difficult and very annoying,” he told the Mail.
“There are a lot of things we could be doing, and you realise we don’t have the van, so we can’t do that today.”
Mr Taylor said the charity was looking for vans in the price range of $10,000 to $18,000 and hoping to find one without too many kilometres on the odometer, preferably within the coming month.
A positive to come out of the theft was that, due to widespread media coverage and social media posts, many had heard Holy Fools’ calls for food, clothing and blankets to continue their services.
“They say every cloud has a silver lining,” Mr Taylor said.
“While it’s been a real bugbear for us, it’s been a fantastic opportunity for the community to learn more about who we are … to contribute and to be able to help us in what we’re doing.”
But the money left for the charity in the aftermath of the van’s theft still falls short of their funding goals, so the charity is appealing for donations from the public.
Donations can be made by visiting www.holyfools.org.au/support-us or www.facebook.com/holyfools.
A 38-year-old Chirnside Park man was arrested, charged and remanded in relation to the theft of the van, among other burglaries, and the matter is currently before the courts.
