KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — A Knoxville nonprofit said Thursday that three of their vans had catalytic converters stolen while they were parked in a church in South Knoxville.
Thrive is a faith-based nonprofit that hosts afterschool activities and works with at-risk youth in four neighborhoods across Knoxville. They work with more than 240 young people daily, offering homework help, reading lessons and educational electives.
Two separate police reports were filed for the thefts, Thrive said in a release. They said it happened at their location at the New Hopewell Baptist Church.
They said that since January 2021, eight vans have been the targets of catalytic converter thefts. They said it cost more than $7,500 to replace the parts.
The vans are used to transport students from school to their after-school program. They then use the vans to take them home at the end of the day. They said the vans are kept in church parking lots, in areas where they operate the program.
They said they have not been able to identify a suspect using security footage from the churches.