Orange : Stolen Toys Spur People to Donate Replacements

One day after thieves took hundreds of toys destined for poor children from the El Modena Community Center, the center Saturday began receiving gifts of new toys and pledges for more.

“I think many people couldn’t see a kid going without a gift,” said community service manager Martha Gavia.

Gavia said the center received at least 75 toys Saturday from people around the county to replace the 350 that were stolen Thursday. She said a representative from the California City Bank in Orange promised that the bank would donate enough money or toys to replace what was taken.

The stolen items made up nearly half of the 750 toys the center was hoping to give away to needy children in the area, Gavia said. About 250 other toys are unwrapped and being kept elsewhere, she said.

The missing toys, which were gift-wrapped and stuffed in plastic bags, were taken from one of the offices in the center, she said. The burglars may have entered the building after a security officer turned off an alarm for a meeting of Alcoholics Anonymous, she said.

Gavia said the building, in the 18600 block of Center Street, is in a high-crime area and had been burglarized seven times before it got an alarm system last year.

The center also provides low-income families with food, day care and job placement services.