SAN MATEO, Calif. - A Bay Area nonprofit said thieves had stolen a bus that carries supplies to cancer patients.The bus has been recovered.
But it's damaged, and almost everything inside was stolen."This is our mobile resource center. Here is where we would have kept-all our wigs," said Rina Bello, executive director of the San Mateo-based Bay Area Cancer Connections, as she showed a KTVU crew the inside of the bus.She said wigs, hats and other items for women battling breast and ovarian cancer were stolen along with the bus. "The hardest part about this is recovering from this, not only is the bus out of commission.
It's going to be expensive to fix, but replacing all those things for our patients," Bello said.She said she got the bus back Sunday, about a week after it was stolen during the President's Day holiday weekend. "All these racks had the bras on them," said Bello as she pointed to an empty rack.She said the catalytic converter was also stolen, and the group was forced to cancel an event to serve patients Saturday in Newark."Whenever we have to pull back a service, it's painful," said Beth Solomon, a volunteer with Bay Area Cancer Connections.
The nonprofit used the bus to bring items to patients in places such as San Francisco and all over the Bay Area, and as far south as Salinas to bring comfort.