Peninsula Community Comes Together to Cover Toy Theft

HALF MOON BAY, CA- Citizens and law enforcement officers have come together to make up a loss of about $2,000 worth of children’s toys after a theft last week from a church in Half Moon Bay, San Mateo County sheriff’s officials said.

Deputies responded at about 10 a.m. Friday to Our Lady of the Pillar Catholic Church at 400 Church St. and learned the toys were stolen Thursday night or Friday morning, sheriff’s officials said.

Since then most or all of the loss has been made up by toy donations from the sheriff’s office toy drive, private citizens and a $1,000 check from the San Mateo County Sheriff’s Office Organization of Sheriff’s Sergeants, San Mateo County sheriff’s spokesman Detective Salvador Zuno said.

“It’s going to cover their loss,” Zuno said of the combination of donations and money.

“There’s been a lot of reaction” from the community, Zuno said.

A lot of citizens have donated since the theft, he said.

Zuno said, “we’re sad” about the loss, but the good thing is “this is bringing a lot of people together to do the right thing.”

The church was working with the Society of St. Vincent de Paul of San Mateo to collect the toys and both groups continue to collect toys for the drive, sheriff’s officials said.

— By Bay City News Service. Image via Shutterstock.