A Bridgeport church is thankful for the community stepping up after it says thieves stole hundreds of donated toys meant for children.
“As we walked over, we realized this pod was cracked open and there wasn’t a lock on it,” said Pastor Eric Torres, of the Greater Bridgeport Christian Fellowship.
And that’s when Torres’ heart sunk. Some 800 toys had been stolen from the Greater Bridgeport Christian Fellowship.
“We were absolutely heartbroken because when you look at these toys, you see the faces of the kids you know are going to retrieve and receive these toys on Christmas,” said Torres.
Torres says one of the thieves was captured in church surveillance video from Saturday morning.
Now about $8,000 worth of toys were gone, just weeks before they were to be given out to deserving families in the Bridgeport area.
“It actually was very disheartening to know that here in this city, we’re serving these kids and these families and someone would try to disrupt that plan,” said Torres.
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Quickly, a team sprang into action, carrying the remaining toys into the church for safe keeping.
Then came a bit of a miracle when the city announced it and others would step up to help replace what had been taken.
“It shows that good always triumphs over darkness, over bad,” said Torres.
But not all of Torres’ prayers have been answered.
Even before this weekend, this Toys for Tots drive was behind in reaching a goal of collecting gifts for 6,000 kids.
“It’s a huge endeavor, but it’s one that’s not impossible,” said Torres.
If you’d like to donate, give the church a call at 203-726-3614.
