Stolen Toys Spark Huge Wave Of Donations
BURLINGTON (CBS) - Sometimes it takes the worst in people to bring out the best.
Leading up to the holidays, Toys for Tots was struggling to meet their donation needs. Then to make matters so much worse, thieves struck. Over the weekend $15,000 worth of donated toys were stolen from a Burlington storage facility. The call went out to replace as many of those gifts as possible, so that kids in need would still get a special gift under their Christmas tree.
The public outcry that followed was beyond what organizers at Toys for Tots, Massachusetts State Police and the Marine Corp. could have dreamed.
As of Wednesday morning, they have received enough toys and cash to replace the stolen toys, nearly tenfold.
Generous individuals and local companies stepped up to make sure kids' Christmas dreams came true. In cash donations alone, $114,000 was collected in 48 hours.
People carrying bags of toys streamed steadily into donation centers. Schools sparked overnight toy drives. An entire truck loaded from Toys R Us arrived in Burlington Wednesday morning.
WBZ News Radio 1030's Karen Twomey reports
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While the number of donated toys has not been totaled, State Police said it far exceeds what was stolen.
Meanwhile, the investigation into who stole the toys in the first place, continues.
