CHESHIRE — A local family whose presents were stolen on Christmas received so many gifts through a police-led donation effort that they’re giving some of them to needy families.

On Saturday, a convoy of emergency vehicles showed up with lights and sirens blaring to David and Tracey Maher’s house to deliver nine contractor bags worth of presents. Police Officer Jay Bodell, president of the Cheshire Police Benevolent Association, organized the donation effort and gathered support from the community, fire department and ambulance company.

While the parents knew about the gift delivery, it was a surprise to the couple’s three boys, Shepard, 8, Becket, 6 and Alden, 4.

“It was priceless to see their faces,” Bodell said.

While visiting David Maher’s mother in Waterbury, the family left the car idling in the driveway filled with their Christmas presents. It was stolen and has yet to be found by police. After an accident totaled their previous car around Thanksgiving, the family had just bought the new car a week before its loss.

A neighbor, police officer Kevin O’Donnell, let Bodell know about the Maher’s situation. After Bodell posted the family’s story on the Police Benevolent Association and Cheshire Community Facebook pages, police and residents began dropping off donations at headquarters.

“Within hours, people started dropping off gifts,” Bodell said. “By Saturday, I had to say we couldn’t take any more gifts.”

People then began bringing in checks and gift cards for the parents.

“It took on a life of its own,” Bodell said.

Police officers, dispatchers and their families had piled the presents in the department’s training room and over the weekend wrapped all the gifts and sorted them for the children according to age.

David Maher heard that there would be donated gifts, but said he had no idea of the extent of his town’s generosity and the willingness of police, firefighters and ambulance workers to show up on their day off.

The Maher children picked presents for themselves and other families. They’ll donate many of the gifts to Waterbury social services where David Maher’s mother works.

“She knows a lot of needy kids,” he said.

On Wednesday, David Maher said he was giving the gifts a few per day to his children. While the presents could be replaced he was sad about the loss of his 4-year old’s baby blanket, which was a favorite.

jbuchanan@record-journal.com

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Twitter: @JBuchananRJ