'The most amazing 24 hours': Surrey Christmas Bureau inundated with donations after theft
Donations have poured into the Surrey Christmas Bureau hours after thousands of dollars in gifts for low-income families were stolen on Wednesday.
The charity lost three laptops, two drones and gift cards totalling $6,000 in the early-morning break-in.
But the community wasn't going to let a Grinch steal Christmas. By Thursday morning, one man had donated $10,000. The charity received another $12,000 in gift cards from businesses and malls, some even delivered by Santa himself.
"It's just been the most amazing 24 hours," executive director Lisa Werring said.
"It started off terribly but it has ended like a classic Christmas movie."
Still accepting donations
Donations continue to come in, Werring said, and community members have even offered to come fix their broken back door and reinforce their security after the break-in.
The Surrey Christmas Bureau is a volunteer-run, not-for-profit organization that provides items like toys, stocking stuffers and grocery cards to low-income families during the holiday season.
It serves more than 2,000 families each year, including 4,500 kids.
At this time of year, around 80 families stop by each day to pick out gifts. The bureau is still accepting donations, Werring added, particularly of gifts suitable for children between the ages of nine and 12.
Police continue to investigate the break-in and are looking for surveillance video from the area, she said.
To whoever was responsible for the break-in, Werring extends an olive branch.
"You must be in very desperate straits to have committed such a robbery," she said.
"And if you are a parent, I just would like you to know you could have come in the front door and we would have gladly helped you."
