Spirit of Giving : Elderly: While police jail suspects in theft of nursing home gifts, community rallies to replace the loss threefold.

Police have caught two men who allegedly stole Christmas gifts bound for a nursing home, but the theft will not dampen the residents’ holiday: An outpouring from the community has replaced the presents threefold.

Two men, Raul Aguilar Garcia, 20, and Erik Gonzalez, 18, were arrested Saturday in connection with the crime by police acting on a tip, said Sgt. Frank Hauptman. The pair, of Garden Grove, were jailed on suspicion of burglary in lieu of $10,000 bail apiece.

Witnesses said the two pulled up to the nursing home parking lot in a Jaguar, smashed the window of a car and stole 75 presents that were to be delivered to

residents of the Chapman-Harbor Skilled Nursing Center on Chapman Avenue. The gifts were purchased for residents who would receive no others.

Police found a silvery-blue Jaguar fitting a witness’ description of the get-away car in Gonzalez’s driveway. Inside the trunk, they recovered one present, which is being held as evidence.

Hauptman said police have not yet found the bundles of neatly-wrapped sweatshirts, slippers and blankets the nursing home’s management had purchased.

If they did find the stolen gifts, the nursing home would scarcely have room to stow them. As news of the Grinch-like crime hit, people from around Orange County jammed the home’s phone lines and donated scores of gifts.

“When I arrived at 8:45 a.m., the nurses all said, ‘Thank God you are here’ to answer the phones,” said administrator Deborah Gardner. “Each time, I finished a call on one line, another replaced it.”

Soon a stream of people concerned about the residents’ plight began bringing dozens of presents--poinsettias, music boxes, teddy bears, clock radios, tape recorders and much more.

“I told everyone who called to bring one present,” she said. “No one took my advice.”

If someone thought to bring fuzzy slippers, they brought 10 pair; if they thought a set of gloves would be nice, they brought 20.

“It’s phenomenal,” said Tom DeLucia, the activities director who owns the car that was burglarized Friday morning. “I went to sleep last night with such a bad attitude,” he said. “This just amazes me.”

Some of the donors who dropped off presents ended up staying to help wrap and manage the deluge.

“I read about what happened in the newspaper,” said 57-year-old Rick Richards, a San Jose resident visiting his children in Rancho Santa Margarita. “It brought tears to my eyes. All those sweet people who were going to be deprived of Christmas. . . .”

Richards rounded up his relatives and their friends--seven in all--and went on a shopping spree at Target.

“We tried to find what we thought our grandparents would like,” said Richards’ cousin Elizabeth Stimmel of Eureka. Together the seven spent an estimated $350 and a few hours wrapping up other donations.

Many donors would not give their names. “They just wanted to give,” Gardner said.

“It’s amazing,” said Mary Jane Rodriguez, the home’s director of social services. “You don’t realize how much the community cares about the elderly until something like this happens.”

“People would come in and hand me money and checks like you would do a maitre d’ ” DeLucia said. “They wouldn’t give me their names, they just said, ‘Merry Christmas.’ It goes to show you for two people who would [steal Christmas presents], there are a million more who are fantastic,” he said.

Resident Mary Pearce, 77, agreed. “There really is a Santa Claus,” she said glowing.