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Belanger Ford steps up to fix Food Bank van

Dozens of people came forward to help when they heard van had been tampered with
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Belanger Ford is in the spirit of giving as the holiday season approaches and have stepped up to help the Sudbury Food Bank get their van back on the road. (File)

Belanger Ford is in the spirit of giving as the holiday season approaches and have stepped up to help the Sudbury Food Bank get their van back on the road.

The catalytic converter was cut off the van overnight between Nov. 12 and 13 and rendered the vehicle inoperable. The Sudbury Food Bank uses the van to pick up and deliver fresh produce and food items for the city’s most vulnerable community members. 

Upon hearing the news of the incident through local media, the folks at Belanger Ford in Chelmsford have offered up their services and will be replacing the part and getting the vehicle road ready for the winter, free of charge.

"We heard about what had happened just by reading about it in the news," said Celine Pellier, social media coordinator, Belanger Ford. "We reached out to them and thought it would be a nice thing for us to do."

The mechanics at Belanger Ford will be inspecting the Food Bank van and getting everything in working order ahead Sudbury's roughest season on the roads. Repairs are expected to be completed over the weekend and the hope is that the van will be operational by Monday, Nov. 19.

"We were in a position to help and we've always been very community-minded," said Pellier. "We just said hey, this is something we can do." 

Belanger Ford wasn't the only dealership that came forward to help, according to Sudbury Food Bank board president Mellaney Dahl.

"We know what kind of community we live in and people really stepped forward when they heard about what happened. We had about a dozen dealerships and auto shops coming to us asking if they could help," said Dahl.

"It just so happened that Belanger could do it this weekend. Time is of the essence, that's our only refrigerator truck and it's making runs seven days a week. We just want to thank everyone who offered to help." 


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