The Bridgeport community banded together to replace 800 donated toys stolen from a local church last week.
Thieves stole $8,000-worth of donated toys meant for Toys for Tots, which were being housed at the Greater Bridgeport Christian Fellowship Church.
The City of Bridgeport and other groups announced they would step up to help replace what was taken, and collected donations during the Downton Christmas Tree Lighting Monday.
“We are going to make every effort to ensure no child is left without a toy,” said Mayor Joseph Ganim in a statement. “We want to turn around this heartbreaking situation into a Christmas miracle to demonstrate the resilience and compassion of the Bridgeport community.”
News 12 Connecticut reports that by Wednesday, donations that poured in from the community replaced the value of the stolen toys.
Those who donated included the law firm Miller, Rosnick, D'Amico, August & Butler and Wonderland of Ice.
The goal is to distribute the toys to local families so that 6,000 children have gifts on Christmas morning.
Local
The theft remains under investigation and Bridgeport police have identified a person of interest in the case.
