CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Just days before Christmas, Block Love Charlotte said it had not one, but two boxes of toys stolen from drop-off locations at nearby Starbucks locations.
"We sent one of our team members to collect the boxes, one was taken right out of the store and the other said they were a rep of Block Love Charlotte and just took the box," Block Love Charlotte Director Deborah Phillips said.
The toys were being collected for the nonprofit's gift giveaway, which is set to take place Sunday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
The organization said in an Instagram post on Thursday that, despite the incident, the suspect couldn't "stop the love from being shared."
"Bad Grinch, but we hope the toys meet a need and that God blesses their entire hearts so they grow ten times larger this holiday season," the organization said in its post.
Phillips said this is the biggest toy giveaway yet and over 200 kids are already on the list to receive gifts from them on Christmas Eve. After the gifts were stolen, word spread fast and her phone was ringing off the hock.
"We started getting calls a few groups dropped off yesterday," Phillips said. "We want to make sure that families can come through, have a really good time, enjoy the holidays, and have some cheer in their lives.”
People can drop off donations through the event until 5 p.m. on Christmas Eve. The event is held at the Block Love Warehouse at 2740 N. Graham St.
Contact Austin Walker at awalker@wcnc.com and follow him on Facebook, X and Instagram.
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