A spokesperson for the Hayward Police Department say they stumbled across a rather interesting find this week when a stolen food pantry van was found in a grocery store parking lot.

The South Hayward Parish say the vehicle went missing in the early part of the week; sources say they never expected it would turn up where it did.

Officers received a tip about the vans location from an employee of the store.  She saw it hanging out outside the market and recognized it from the recent media reports.   Police drove out right away and quickly determined that yes, this was in fact the same food pantry truck that thieves had run off with.

Haward PD investigators say they're still working through the details of the crime and they're tying to figure out who broke into the parish office, pocketed the van's keys and made off with it.

The van services up to 2,200 people a week, according to sources close to the charity, which is why losing their transportation vehicle was so heartbreaking.

This week, volunteers and friends of the church helped distribute groceries to people on the distribution list.  The van may have been returned, they said, but there are still opportunities for the public to help.  Anyone who has information about the burglary is asked to call the Hayward Police Department.

Anyone who is interested in volunteering or donating non-perishable food items can call the parish directly.

Read the full story here: Stolen Hayward food pantry van recovered in grocery store parking lot