Far from a charitable donation

Deepa Bharath

WESTSIDE -- The white Chevy van had “Someone Cares Soup Kitchen”

boldly displayed on its windows.

But that did not stop someone who apparently didn’t care from stealing

the van, which the charity used daily to pick up donations and groceries

to feed people in need.

Volunteers who came in Monday morning and noticed the van missing

could not believe somebody would steal it, said George Neureuther, the

soup kitchen’s development director.

It’s the first such incident the nonprofit group has experienced in

the more than 16 years it has operated from its location in the 700 block

of West 19th Street, he said.

“We just thought someone had taken it for an early morning pickup and

forgot to tell us about it,” Neureuther said. “I called several people

and even waited a few days to see if someone would bring it back.”

The van, donated and maintained by South Coast Plaza merchants, was

the only vehicle the soup kitchen had to run errands and pick up

donations, he said.

They have rented a van but will soon have to buy a new vehicle,

depending on insurance coverage and action the board of directors takes

at next week’s meeting.

The van did not have an alarm system, but the parking lot where it was

last seen Sunday did have a sensor light, Neureuther said.

“We are definitely looking into a better security system now that this

has happened,” he said.

Neureuther guessed the thief possibly popped one of the side windows

and hot-wired the van because the keys were in an office, which was

locked. There were no signs of entry into the building, he said.

Vans are certainly not popular targets when it comes to auto thefts in

the city, said Costa Mesa Police Lt. Dale Birney.

“I’ve seen Hondas and Toyotas and trucks on the top 10 list, but not vans,” he said.

It is difficult to even guess if police can recover the stolen van,

but the license plate number -- 2T27680 -- will be entered into a

countrywide system, which is common procedure, police said.

Neureuther said he believes the incident is “unfortunate, but a part

of life.”

“Sometimes bad things happen,” he said. “You just have to deal with it

and do the best you can.”

* Deepa Bharath covers public safety and courts. She may be reached at

(949) 574-4226 or by e-mail at o7 deepa.bharath@latimes.comf7 .