PRESS RELEASE: Charity Box Truck Destroyed
Refugee move-ins affected after Catholic Charities box truck is totaled
May 1, 2024 (Fort Wayne, IN) – On April 19, Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Fort Wayne-South Bend’s (CCFWSB) box truck was totaled after a truck veered off Jefferson Blvd and into a parking lot where the box truck was parked. No Catholic Charities employees were present during the accident and the driver of the truck walked away with minor injuries.
Primarily used to transport household items for newly resettled refugees, the 2005 box truck has been in service since 2009. This year, 300 refugees are expected to be welcomed into the city by Catholic Charities, which equates to 80-90 moves. As the only refugee resettlement agency in the region, well over 600 refugee families have been able to create a new life since acquiring the box truck, and numerous other CCFWSB programs have benefited from the donation drives frequently facilitated by the box truck.
Due to the age of the box truck, insurance will not cover the cost of a new box truck, leaving the agency with questions on how new clients will be served.
“Our yellow box truck has rebuilt countless lives and ensured basic needs were met through the generosity of our community,” said Dan Florin, CEO of CCFWSB. “To guarantee the future of our refugee program, we are calling upon the generosity of our community once more.”
Catholic Charities has set up a fundraising page with the goal of $30,000 to purchase a gently used box truck and support our Refugee Program. The new box truck will help a broad spectrum of Catholic Charities clients who need material assistance.
To help Catholic Charities get back on the road, please make a gift at www.ccfwsb.org/boxtruck.
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About Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Fort Wayne-South Bend:
Catholic Charities is a private 501 (c) 3 incorporated in the state of Indiana to act as the coordinating and administrative agency for the charitable activities assigned to it by the Bishop of the Diocese of Fort Wayne-South Bend; to plan for, initiate, direct, support and coordinate Catholic social-services programs for the spiritual, mental, emotional, and physical welfare of persons in need; to seek and determine the causes of social problems in order to better promote preventative social-action programs; to participate in community planning and organization, and work cooperatively with other individuals and groups in the field of social work. The service area for Catholic Charities includes the 14 counties of the Diocese of Fort Wayne-South Bend, encompassing 2,236 square miles, with a population of 1,247,850. Currently, Catholic Charities has offices in Fort Wayne (Allen County), Auburn (DeKalb County), and South Bend (St. Joseph County), Indiana. In Fiscal Year 2022-2023, CCFWSB served over 21,000 individuals at a fiscally responsible rate of 88 cents of every dollar dedicated to client services. The agency’s mission is to serve all those in need as Christ calls us to do.