Thieves steal from Toys for Tots Santa Cruz

Thieves seem to have hit a new low this holiday season. Sometime before Thanksgiving, toys for needy children were stolen from two non-profit drop-off locations in Santa Cruz County.

The suspects stole about $1,500 worth of donated toys from collection sites in Aptos and and the city of Santa Cruz, according to Toys for Tots organizers. It’s a loss of about 100 toys, which would have gone to about 50 children.

“Before Thanksgiving, our drivers went to their appointed destinations to make their pick ups, and their boxes were empty,” Delilah Valadez, coordinator for Toys for Tots Santa Cruz said.

Organizers are not giving out the locations of the two sites that were hit because of what happened.

The program has been running in Santa Cruz County for 25 years. Volunteers like Watsonville firefighters say this is the first time this has happened.

“It has never been an issue, so it’s just really concerning,” Watsonville Fire Captain Matt Ryan, and Toys for Tots chairperson, said.

The Watsonville Fire Department works closely with Toys for Tots. From now on, they say there will be more security at the collection sites.

“It’s definitely a setback,” Valadez said. “I think it really interrupts momentum and it kind of gets us thinking in a different way, which I guess is a good thing. It means our collection sites are certainly going to be a little more cautious.”

With that caution comes determination to make sure deserving families don’t miss out on something that brings so much joy.

People can donate up until December 15.