Mustard Seed charity’s van stolen, crashed
The nonprofit Mustard Seed of Central Florida — the region’s lone furniture and clothing bank — is trying to replace its seven-passenger van after the vehicle was stolen and crashed during a high-speed chase, the charity announced Monday.
“The Mustard Seed’s mission is to serve families suffering from many types of hardships,” Executive Director Kathy Baldwin said. “As our clients have said many times, ‘I never thought this would happen to us.’ … I am hopeful there are generous individuals and companies willing to help us get back on the road.”
The Ford Econoline van, bought in 2015 for $15,000, was stolen Aug. 13 while at a Winter Park auto-detailing business on West Fairbanks Avenue. A spokeswoman for the charity said a police investigation and insurance issues prevented the Mustard Seed from publicly discussing the matter until this week.
Detailers had left the van’s doors open — with the keys in the ignition — to let the interior dry out. A man jumped inside the van and drove off, chased by an em
ployee of the detailing business on his motorcycle.
The suspect ultimately crashed the van into a car at the intersection of North Orange Avenue and Orlando Avenue in Winter Park, injuring the car’s driver. The suspect ran through traffic and persuaded another driver who had stopped that people were trying to kill him. The driver dropped him off near
AdventHealth Cancer Institute in Orlando.
Winter Park police did not immediately respond to requests for further details, but executives for the Mustard Seed said the suspect has not been arrested. According to a police report, the suspect was described by witnesses as a young male, about 5 feet, 6 inches tall, with a thin build and gold highlights in his hair.
The Mustard Seed used the van to shuttle volunteers to its headquarters and pick up smaller donations.
“It is really crucial to our operation,” marketing manager Alexi Altizer said.
The 32-year-old charity received $8,109 from its insurance company for the vehicle, which was declared unsafe due to frame damage. On Saturday, it launched a GoFundMe campaign to raise an additional $10,000 to purchase a replacement van.
“We’re serving a lot of clients in this current crisis,” Altizer said. “And we’re definitely projecting an influx as more people get evicted. We’ve already had calls from people who have been evicted and locked out of their place and not allowed to get their personal belongings and furnishings.”