The magic of Christmas will still be alive for thousands of needy children despite the theft of thousands of dollars’ worth of presents from a Salvation Army warehouse in Washington, D.C.
Lewis Reckline, area commander for the Salvation Army National Capital Area, estimates it will cost $50,000 to replace stolen items from the Angel Tree program, to have staff work extra hours, and to increase security measures.
But low-income families will receive gifts on time from the program this year.
As of Wednesday afternoon, $45,000 has been donated to the Salvation Army.
Reckline told The Daily Signal the Salvation Army has been purchasing replacement electronic items this week “so that the children have something to open up on Christmas.”
“Our goal is to make sure that we have these children taken care of,” he said.
Reckline says it would be a “huge help” for people to make donations online or in person. The Salvation Army will “go out and take care of the products.”
Walmart donated $20,000 a day after the break-in to help the Salvation Army replace gifts.
“It’s a huge help. Their gift is a very good start,” Reckline said.
“The Salvation Army plans to use Walmart’s donation, and others that may come in from the community, to replace the stolen products and pay for extra security at the facility,” according to a press release.
In response to the theft, the Washington Nationals encouraged fans to bring “MP3 players, Kindles, tablets and other electronic items,” or cash donations, to the baseball team’s annual Winterfest fan festival to help replenish the stolen gifts, according to a Washington Nationals press release.
About 300 bags filled with Christmas toys and necessities—and ready for distribution to families in need—were torn open and ransacked in Southeast Washington at the temporary headquarters for the Angel Tree program.
“Friday night it appears as though someone was able to somehow get past the security system that’s in place at our distribution center,” Reckline said.
The rented space had been monitored by a security guard during operational hours and had motion sensors. During the time of the break-in, no security guards were on duty.
“It became apparent that they were only interested in certain items,” Reckline said.
The items stolen were more “high-end” items that would have belonged to the older children assisted through Angel Tree, he said.
Bikes, clothes, and electronics—including iPads—were among the gifts stolen.
A suitcase filled with Kindles had been dropped and left behind by the burglars, NBC-TV Washington’s Mark Segraves reported from the Angel Tree warehouse. The items were found damaged and with cracked screens.
Two teenagers were arrested and charged with burglary after being spotted in the building Saturday morning. Police are seeking three other teens in connection with the crime, The Washington Post reported.
This particular Angel Tree warehouse is designated to help nearly 2,500 families and 6,000 needy children in the Washington area.
“The program is fairly simple: A Christmas tree is set up in a public location, and, for a specified amount of time, willing participants can visit the tree, sign up with a volunteer, and take a name-tag ornament off the tree,” wrote The Daily Signal’s Madaline Donnelly, who recently visited and reported on an Angel Tree location in Virginia.
“On the tag is the first name of a child along with his wish list, which includes items requested by the child’s parents (usually necessities like clothing) as well as a ‘bonus’ wish list item such as a video game or stuffed animal.”
This piece has been updated to reflect the amount of money donated since the theft.