Vandals, thieves hit Lee County Toys for Tots warehouse

A Lee County warehouse full of toys to be given to underprivileged kids for Christmas was the target of vandals and thieves.

J.J. Cuff, the local coordinator for Toys for Tots, said he knew something was wrong when he came to the warehouse and the door was open.

"I said, 'Why is my door open?' Because they are never open," Cuff said.

Back in October, Cuff went to the warehouse to check on the boxes of toys that had already been collected.

"Every box had been overturned and every toy that was usable was gone," he said.

Sometime during the summer, the vandals struck the warehouse. Taking what they wanted, the rest was left trampled.

The mission of Toys for Tots is to give new, unwrapped gifts to struggling families during the holidays.

Cuff did not file a police report because he said he did not want the community to feel as violated as he did.

"I said, 'No, I will take care of this.' Because I was so mad I was ready to choke somebody," he said. "Everybody is now working harder. We got to fill up a few more needs we thought we had covered, but we will get through this."

Lee County Toys for Tots moved into a new location, but it is now struggling on where to store items for next year.