Christmas trees stolen from Braintree charity lot
A charity Christmas tree sale in Braintree has been targeted by vandals, resulting in a smashed display rack, broken lights, and missing trees, according to The Patriot Ledger.
Volunteers found about a half-dozen trees missing at Archbishop Williams High School on Friday.
“It may not look like much, it is just a little retail operation, but it takes hours to set it up, a couple of hundred hours in volunteer hours,” Michael Parsons, who organized the sale, told CBS Boston.
A grinch stole Christmas trees and vandalized wreaths at a Braintree high school fundraiser – I’m live at 10 talking to heartbroken youngsters. Whoever did this deserves coal in their stocking!! @boston25 pic.twitter.com/zZMxYmK9B2
— Jacqui Heinrich (@JacquiHeinrich) December 2, 2017
The stolen trees are worth about $300, according to the Ledger. The school had installed locking gates and fences a decade ago after previous thefts. Organizers are not considering additional security measures.
The school has held the annual parent-organized fundraiser for the past 40 years, the newspaper reported. Last year, the sale raised $35,000.
“Without that money, tuition would go up,” Parsons told CBS Boston. “Expenses would be higher and some of the opportunities for students just wouldn’t take place.”
Volunteer Jenny Gordon said the incident seems to have brought the community closer together, according to the Boston Herald.
“People who have never shopped here or heard of (the sale) have stopped by,” she told the newspaper. “People are talking about it. Somebody came and bought four Christmas trees. They’re buying them for neighbors and friends just to support us.”
