Salvation Army asks for community's help in purchasing new truck for holiday season

The Salvation Army of Amarillo is seeking help from the community in raising funds to replace its totaled delivery truck, which was stolen and vandalized earlier in the year.

As previously reported by the Globe-News, the Salvation Army of Amarillo had its 26-foot-truck stolen from its lot located behind the Family Store late this past June. Along with the vehicle theft, the location also sustained damage to the gate and window. This damage is reported to have been caused by the thieves as they were stealing the truck. It is believed the thieves were initially trying to access the property to steal the truck but realized they could not reach the vehicle from the window, which led to them damaging the gate.

The stolen truck was recovered days later by the Amarillo Police Department and returned to the Salvation Army. The vehicle was found abandoned and damaged in a hotel parking lot located in the 1600 block of east I-40.

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According to Major Tex Ellis of the Salvation Army of Amarillo, at the time, the truck had sustained major damage to the inside, and since has been evaluated by the insurance agency as a totaled vehicle.

"We are making those repairs to the property; we are working with insurance agency to complete those. The window is repaired and they repaired the gate, but we are working to replace it with a better system," Ellis said. "As for the vehicle, it has been totaled, and we are currently looking for a replacement, and hopefully soon because we will need it as the holiday season progresses."

Initially, Major Ellis estimated the value to replace the vehicle at $60,000, but due to the rise of inflation and overall lack in vehicle availability, the non-profit has come to find most potential vehicle replacements prices are around $100,000.

Currently, the Salvation Army has approximately $88,000 to support the purchase of a new delivery truck and are asking the community for help to raise funds for the truck while they continue their search for a vehicle in this price range that meets their needs.

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Ellis said the organization requires at least a 20-foot truck with a lift gate. The organization prefers a new vehicle due to the amount of use that they wish to gain from the vehicle, but it is open to pre-owned vehicles should it meet its needs.

The Major said he hopes the vehicle can be replaced as soon as possible with the expected rise in need over the holiday season, including the everyday transportation needs. During the holidays, the vehicle is used to transport toys, gifts and donations from the organization's food drives. These transportation needs are in addition to the everyday uses of the delivery truck, such as transporting of materials for its Family Thrift Store; the moving of food donations for the Salvation Army's pantry and shelter kitchen; as well as other miscellaneous transportation needs throughout the year.

"Everything is still open. We still offer all of our services. Our shelter is open every night; our thrift store and pantry is available. We just want to thank the community for their support, and we solicit their generous support over the next two months greatly. As we enter the holiday season, we ask the community for monetary donations and for volunteer donations during this time to help those in need," Ellis said.

For those wishing to support the Salvation Army in their search for a new delivery truck, you can make a general donation online at https://southernusa.salvationarmy.org/amarillo.

To make a specialized donation specifically benefitting the truck, individuals are asked to call the Amarillo Salvation Army at (806) 373-6631 or visit them in person at  400 S Harrison St.

This article originally appeared on Amarillo Globe-News: Salvation Army of Amarillo in search of truck for holidays after theft