JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – V for Victory hopes to recoup the loss of nearly $50,000 worth of Lego sets that were stolen from V Pizza in late December through donations from the community.
The Jacksonville nonprofit helps offset the financial burden on families while they are battling cancer. Their ‘Bricks of Love’ program donates Lego sets to children who receive cancer-related treatments in Jacksonville hospitals.
RELATED: A warehouse of Legos for local charity ‘V for Victory’
The Legos were stored in a warehouse in San Marco and police said there were no signs of forced entry.
Jaclyn Overby, the executive director of the nonprofit, discovered the sets were stolen when she showed up to transfer the Lego sets to their storefront.
“I still don’t have words thinking about it. Because we’ve had that space for two and a half years. There’s never been an issue. And then just walking in, of course, the day I was going to move everything out, and it was already gone,” Overby said.
Now the nonprofit hopes to replace what was stolen. Close to 300 children with cancer will go without a Lego set.
They’ve set up an Amazon wish list and are hosting a donation drive this weekend to recoup the losses.
“The sets that were lost were incredibly valuable. And we’re not looking to replace the value of those sets. But we do want to replace the quantity so that we can make sure that every child who comes in here can go home with a fun surprise to do with their family,” Overby said.
A child who is receiving cancer treatment in Jacksonville will get a token that they can exchange for a Lego set of their choice.
You can donate new, unopened sets or complete sets that you might already have at home. Some children can’t build the Legos on their own but still would like to play with them.
Overby said the response has been overwhelming for V for Victory.
“It’s exactly the response I would hope that the community would have in Jacksonville,” Overby said.
She even got calls from people all over the country who saw what happened and wanted to support the nonprofit in any way they could.
“It’s turning into something that just shows how much our community loves and cares for each other,” Overby said.
V for Victory is hosting a LEGO set donation drive on Sunday, Jan. 7 from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. at its office on 4466 Hendricks Ave.
You can click the link to see the Amazon wish list: V for Victory Amazon Wish List