After a short period of worry when its van was stolen, the local nonprofit Sustainable Renton was gifted an even better van that will allow it to continue feeding people.

According to Sustainable Renton President Hannah Flory, the nonprofit’s van was stolen on March 8, and they had to revert to using volunteers’ cars. Flory said not too long after the theft, the van was retrieved on March 15, but insurance deemed it a total loss.

Flory said one of Sustainable Renton’s main initiatives is to redistribute food that would have otherwise been thrown away, so when Sustainable Renton lost its van, it was a big hit.

Flory said the van was spotted on the sidewalk by police when they were responding to a domestic violence call, but she wasn’t aware of any arrests being made. Flory said the ignition was destroyed and there was graffiti all over the inside of the van.

Flory said in the midst of figuring out what to do after recovering the totaled van, someone contacted her about possibly donating a van. Flory said a couple, who would like to remain anonymous, reached out and said they had been reading the Renton Reporter when they saw that Sustainable Renton needed a van.

Flory said she thought it was too good to be true, and she proceeded with caution. Flory said that she went to look at the van with Sustainable Renton’s program manager, and in the end, she walked away with the keys and title.

“It was a huge gift on their part to be able to do that because they totally could have just sold it and taken the money,” Flory said.

Flory said the couple had a van they had been using for camping, but they didn’t use it anymore, so they thought it would be good to donate it. Flory said the new van is much better and has a variety of advantages compared to Sustainable Renton’s previous van.

The new van is a Sprinter van that is taller, has more power, can hold more weight, and has insulation so Sustainable Renton can hold perishable goods longer. It is diesel, so the engine will last longer, and it even has a solar panel on top. In addition to the new features, Flory said the van will provide Sustainable Renton with the security of knowing it will have something that will last for a number of years to come.

“I’m continually surprised at the generosity of people in our community,” Flory said. “I’ve always been a believer that the perfect things will come at the right time.”

Sustainable Renton recently started a food garden and launched a free meal program at Luther’s Table, 419 S. 2nd St., #1, Renton, from 8 am to 10 a.m. Saturday mornings. Apart from that, Flory said Sustainable Renton will just continue helping put food on people’s tables.