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Donations Pour In As Police Work To Track Down Person Who Stole Gifts For Needy Kids

PITTSBURGH (KDKA) -- Organizing toy donations at the East Hills Community Center was not how Carmen Randall and her team of volunteers planned to spend their Tuesday night.

"We are exhausted, but we have to do it," Randall, the resident council president, said. "We love our families.

Randall and her team of volunteers gathered to take on the task after someone stole every toy stored in the community center.

"They saw that the room had been broken into and the toys had been stolen," said Pittsburgh Police Commander Jason Lando. "I was told at last count, it was 383 presents stolen."

So, Zone 5 Pittsburgh Police made a public plea for replacement donations, and the response has been overwhelming.

Officers went shopping, Toys for Tots sent extra supplies and Pittsburghers showed their generosity. Thousands of dollars' worth of gift cards poured into the Zone 5 police station, all day long, along with toy donations.

"It hit me in the heart, so I wanted to do something," said Eddie Lessoon, who donated some toys to the growing pile Tuesday evening.

"We have three grandchildren and sometimes have extra toys lying around," said Elaine Wolf, who also donated.

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"We planned on donating them anyway to Toys for Tots," said Dave Spell, of Steel City Road Runners. "Then, when I saw it on Facebook, it was a no-brainer."

"We're planning on giving all the toys out from 3 p.m. to 9 p.m. [Wednesday], up here at the clubhouse," said Randall. "But we're also just getting everything ready; this is a list of all the families."

And the families are grateful for a community that snapped into action.

"What goes through my hearts is that Pittsburgh is a great city and we are a community that is coming out of the ashes," said Claudia Wells, of the East Hills.

While the day started in a frenzy, officials say they are happy the community came together to help a good cause.

"It's amazing how quick we can make stuff happen," said Staff Sgt. Charles Brahear, the Toys for Tots coordinator. "It just shows the community we're there for them and we're going to do everything we can to make sure everyone has a good Christmas."

In addition to all of the toys, officials say people donated more than $15,000 in gift cards. Because of that, officials say they are going to set up a special fund so police officers can go out and buy toys, clothing and other items for needy children throughout the community.

Meanwhile, police say they have several strong leads as they try to find the person who stole the gifts.

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