Editorial: Community makes difference when Grinches strike Toys for Tots
Share this post:
It is probably pointless to expect decency or shame from a thief.
With that in mind, it is unlikely that whoever is behind the theft of 20 bikes from the Allegheny Valley Marine Corps Toys for Tots chapter feels bad about it.
No, they don’t care about the kid whose family has nothing to give him on Christmas morning but who was getting that Holy Grail of holiday gifts nonetheless. The kid who was expecting nothing because there was no reason to expect anything.
Actually, 20 kids from low-income families were going to have that “Oh, wow” moment straight out of an animated special.
But between 4 p.m. Sunday and 9 a.m. Monday, someone decided to play Grinch, looting the bicycles from the Toys for Tots storage space in Harrison.
“It’s disheartening because the bikes are a big deal for the older kids,” said coordinator Jenn Neilen of New Kensington.
It’s the kind of story that seems destined for a screenplay. Who steals Christmas from 20 families — unless the thieves happen to be furry and green with hearts two sizes too small? Or perhaps the villains are nasty Victorian moneylenders destined for a visit from some holiday ghosts.
It’s impossible to understand the act. Those bikes can’t possibly net enough money to make up for the loss of what those kids would get from receiving that kind of gift.
But it is remarkable to appreciate the response.
Like Dr. Seuss’s Whos in Whoville who gathered on Christmas morning after the Grinch stole their wreaths and trees and roast beast, locals are showing their spirit wasn’t stolen. At least a dozen bikes have been replaced already.
“People are absolutely stepping up,” said assistant coordinator Andy Burch of Tarentum.
This isn’t just about the holidays. It isn’t simply what’s right and what’s wrong.
It’s about community. It’s about seeing a need and doing what you can to fill it. People had already done that by donating to Toys for Tots in the first place. This additional action just digs deeper, taking the gesture to a new level.
The Grinch reformed after his theft. Ebenezer Scrooge kept Christmas in his heart all year round after he realized the error of his greedy ways.
Maybe there’s time for a Christmas miracle that would prompt the thieves to return those 20 bikes. But should their hearts not grow three sizes, at least the community is filled with people who won’t let a kid have a bah humbug holiday if there is a way to help it.