AURORA — For more than a decade, Peace With Christ Lutheran Church and Christian School estimates they have traveled across the country using the same van for disaster relief efforts. Earlier this week, they say that the van was stolen.
The church recovered the van, thanks to Doug Branch, the general manager at D & D Tire Service. Branch has been servicing the vehicle for years, and noticed it in a field near his house while on a lunch break.
The Director of Children and Student Ministries at Peace With Christ Lutheran Church, Donna Patton, said they were able to recover the van but that it was missing its catalytic converter, among other issues. The repairs are estimated to cost up to $10,000.
The van was used for disaster relief efforts throughout the country, with students from the school volunteering their time.
“We've been to Katrina, we've been to Houston with Harvey, taking supplies down, working with organizations down there. We don't care who, we don't care what, we just love the opportunity to go," Patton said. “We were contacted by a church that we helped in New Orleans, asking us if we wanted to go help in Florida. And it was the very first time I've had to say no, and that, that's hard.”
Makenna Boye is a student who has participated in three disaster relief trips. She said the trips have shown her that helping others is what matters most in life.
“It's empowering, to be able to know that you are making a change," Boye said. “The van is what gives us the opportunities."
Those with Peace With Christ Lutheran Church and Christian School have started a fundraiser to either repair the van or purchase a new one to use on such trips. The goal is to raise $10,000.
