Urban mentor network oakland collected 100 toys kids, An Oakland non-profit is being forced to start the holiday toy drive they’ve worked on all year all over again, after thieves stole $2,000 worth of donated gifts and supplies.
"When I got here yesterday it was disheveled like this," said Urban Mentors Network director, Jaime Taylor, describing what she saw in the group's storage locker after someone broke the lock and stole the contents.
"They got lucky," Taylor said of the thieves. "There were bags of toys, mp3 players, gifts for small children."
The gifts belonged to the Oakland non-profit, Urban Mentors Network. Group leaders meet weekly with 40 East Oakland kids to help with school work and support at home.
"It was important. To feel like I was loved by someone that wasn't part of my family," said Ty'Anna Sandifer.
Sandifer was a student in the program seven years ago, now she's a mentor to some of the younger kids.
"It just makes me feel like I'm doing something positive instead of running the streets," she said.
Taylor said their big event every year is their Christmas party. The kids in the program help organize it and it's open to everyone in their East Oakland neighborhood. Last year 300 people showed up. This year's party is on December 14, and the group had collected enough toys to hand out to about 100 kids.
"At this point we're down to nothing again. So, we're starting over," Taylor said.
The storage facility where their locker was is near San Leandro street and 66th avenue. Taylor said the facility does have security cameras, but she was told the cameras don't face the front of her storage unit. No one was in the front office when KTVU visited Wednesday afternoon.
"Our youth and families are amazing, they're strong and courageous, but a lot of them don't have much. So when I felt like they were stealing from them, it really broke me," Taylor said.
Taylor said this year's party will go on as planned but she and her volunteers will spend the next two weeks scrambling for donations to try to replace what was lost.
"When I got here yesterday it was disheveled like this," said Urban Mentors Network director, Jaime Taylor, describing what she saw in the group's storage locker after someone broke the lock and stole the contents.
"They got lucky," Taylor said of the thieves. "There were bags of toys, mp3 players, gifts for small children."
The gifts belonged to the Oakland non-profit, Urban Mentors Network. Group leaders meet weekly with 40 East Oakland kids to help with school work and support at home.
"It was important. To feel like I was loved by someone that wasn't part of my family," said Ty'Anna Sandifer.
Sandifer was a student in the program seven years ago, now she's a mentor to some of the younger kids.
"It just makes me feel like I'm doing something positive instead of running the streets," she said.
Taylor said their big event every year is their Christmas party. The kids in the program help organize it and it's open to everyone in their East Oakland neighborhood. Last year 300 people showed up. This year's party is on December 14, and the group had collected enough toys to hand out to about 100 kids.
"At this point we're down to nothing again. So, we're starting over," Taylor said.
The storage facility where their locker was is near San Leandro street and 66th avenue. Taylor said the facility does have security cameras, but she was told the cameras don't face the front of her storage unit. No one was in the front office when KTVU visited Wednesday afternoon.
"Our youth and families are amazing, they're strong and courageous, but a lot of them don't have much. So when I felt like they were stealing from them, it really broke me," Taylor said.
Taylor said this year's party will go on as planned but she and her volunteers will spend the next two weeks scrambling for donations to try to replace what was lost.
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