Earlier this week, the Maryland Book Bank reported that its van was stolen from its warehouse in North Baltimore.

The van, which is used daily to pick up book donations, was found missing outside the warehouse loading platform. Program manager Kimberly Crout made the unfortunate discovery on Tuesday morning, as she was preparing to unload books from it.

"I can't reiterate how important it is. It's an item we utilize every day," Crout reported to TV 11 Baltimore.

The van was last seen on Monday afternoon around 2 p.m. at its Union Avenue location. So far, no leads have been identified.

The Maryland Book Bank is a nonprofit that provides books to children and their families in the Baltimore region. In their 20 years as a group, they've given out over 1.8 million books to the community's teachers and families. With 2019's estimates at an impressive 400,000, this marks a heavy blow to the organization's daily commitments in bringing books to those who need. 

"It hurts our ability to do our day-to-day operations," Crout said. "It hurts our ability to bring books to the kids that need them."

Staff members are urging the public to keep an eye out for the van and to contact the police should the van resurface. The license plate number is 8-BK-45-57. You can go to their Facebook page to follow updates posted on its whereabouts.

Anyone here rely on the Maryland Book Bank's services? Has this incident impacted you? Let's hear your thoughts in the comments.