SHREWSBURY (CBS)- Thousands of dollars in Christmas presents and gift cards were stolen from the St. Anne’s Parish shed on Boston Turnpike in Shrewsbury.

WBZ NewsRadio 1030′s Kim Tunnicliffe reports

Someone kicked in the door to the storage unit behind the church sometime Monday or Tuesday. The thief made off with gifts collected for the Giving Tree, a project that supplies Christmas for hundreds of poor children.

“These were items saved all year long for these children. That’s what hurts,” said Elaine LeBlanc, the church’s Volunteer Coordinator.

LeBlanc says the church would have given the thief anything he or she needed, if only they had been asked.

“I feel very bad for them, that they think they have to scavenge for whatever their problem is,” said LeBlanc.

The shed was full after presents were dropped off at the altar over the weekend. Church volunteers moved the gifts to the storage shed for safe keeping.

?Gift cards, toys, clothes, the children have requested and we tried to fill their requests. Many of those toys are all gone,? Rev. John Foley said.

The church is planning to increase security and revamping their efforts to collect presents for families in the area.

Shrewsbury Police are asking anyone who donated a gift card to the effort, and used a credit card to pay for it, to give them a call.

They hope to use the information to try to track the thief.

As far as the kids go, Hasbro has stepped up and is offering to replace all of the stolen items.