Although the holiday giving tree at the Limerick Supermarket remains missing, its theft has turned out to have a silver lining.

Esther Weymouth, assistant store manager, said there has been an outpouring of support from people who have heard about the theft from the store on Route 11 in Limerick on Friday evening.

“It’s been outrageous, the boxes of toys and gifts,” said Weymouth.

She said one woman from Sanford delivered a truckload of toys from a nonprofit organization.

“It’s like this one bad person is so outnumbered by all the good,” said Weymouth.

The tree, a store tradition, is festooned with tags bearing gift requests from needy children in Limerick, Newfield and Parsonsfield. Donors take a name and purchase the gift, which is then passed along to the child. Those names and requests disappeared along with the fir tree, so the store staff doesn’t know who needs a gift.

A security camera recorded a late-model, light-colored SUV with a missing taillight backing up to the tree at about 11:30 p.m. Friday. A young man tossed the tree on the vehicle’s roof and drove away.

The York County Sheriff’s Office is investigating.


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