Hundreds of Donated Gifts Stolen From Church

In December 2012, thieves broke into a storage shed at St. Anne's Parish on Boston Turnpike in Shrewsbury, Massachusetts, and stole thousands of dollars' worth of donated Christmas presents and gift cards meant for needy families. Then the story took a turn nobody expected.

What was stolen?

The shed held the parish's Giving Tree collection: gift cards, toys, and clothes that parishioners had donated to fill specific children's requests. "Gift cards, toys, clothes, the children have requested and we tried to fill their requests. Many of those toys are all gone," said Rev. John Foley.

Hundreds of donated gifts disappeared, weeks before Christmas, from a program built entirely on anonymous generosity.

How did the parish respond?

The church announced plans to increase security around its collection efforts and redoubled its push to gather replacement presents for local families. Shrewsbury police investigated. But replacing hundreds of specific, requested gifts on short notice is a tall order for any parish.

Who saved Christmas?

Hasbro. The toy giant stepped up and offered to replace all of the stolen items. In one corporate gesture, the crisis went from a story about theft to a story about generosity outpacing it.

Why did the story resonate?

Because it was a theft with no possible justification. These were not luxury goods in a warehouse; they were a poor child's requested Christmas morning, sitting in a church shed. The public fury was instant, and so was the public generosity. The thieves got toys; the kids got their Christmas anyway.

FAQ

Where did this happen? St. Anne's Parish on Boston Turnpike in Shrewsbury, Massachusetts.

What was taken? Hundreds of donated Christmas gifts and gift cards, worth thousands of dollars, from the parish's storage shed.

Who replaced the gifts? Hasbro, the toy company, offered to replace all of the stolen items.

Was anyone caught? Shrewsbury police investigated the theft; the parish focused on recovery and increased security.

The takeaway

Steal from a church's Giving Tree and the whole town becomes Santa. The thieves took the gifts; they could not take the giving.