Someone stole thousands of dollars worth of gifts that were going to be given to needy children in Ramsey, but the community has stepped up to help.
Father Kelly had to tell his parishioners that $3,000 of donated gifts had been stolen.
"There were toys, there were gift cards, there was clothing, all kinds of board games, etc…that we were giving to the needy," said Rev. Richard Kelly, St. Paul Church.
Word spread fast and there has been a steady stream of people giving.
"We've had a very good result from people just hearing about it," a parishioner said.
They've taken in nearly three times the amount of gifts.
One woman came in with a bag full of gifts for needy children, who had said that she just went to Kmart to pay off the toys that she had for her own kids on layaway, but a stranger came into the store over the weekend and paid for all of the toys on layaway.
So, she had $100 to spare.
"Yeah, $100 was what was left on my layaway, so I went and spent a little bit more, but you know I just wanted to give back because that's what we are supposed to do, especially around this time of year," said Jennifer Kerin, a donor.
She was happy to pay it forward, and another mom says that she was proud to see how her kids reacted.
"So one of my twins who is 10 years old went home and started making jewelry out of shells to raise money, and she raised $33," said Deirdre Dillion, a parishioner.
As more and more donations came in, someone commented, "It's just nice to know there are good people in the world, you know?"
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