Donated Gifts Stolen in Marin Heist

A pile of donated holiday gifts were the haul from a Marin City heist, according to reports.

Thieves broke into the Manzanita Recreation Center's Child Development Center in Marin City over the weekend, where center staff initially reported the loss of a $1,000 stash of donated toys, gift cards, and other items, according the Marin Independent Journal.

The gifts were to be given to about 100 low-income families in Marin City, historically one of the lower-income places in Marin County.

But there appears to have been a miracle -- or at least reprieve -- of sorts: the thieves were in such a hurry that while they unwrapped many of the gifts in a frenzy to find what they wanted, only about $100 worth of gift cards were lost, the newspaper reported.

The gifts came from givers at St. Hilary Parish in Tiburon.