GREEN BAY, Wis. — There’s a Grinch in Kenny Clark‘s hometown, and the Green Bay Packers defensive tackle isn’t happy about it.
Someone stole more than $5,000 worth of toys that Clark and his mother, Leslie, had collected to distribute to kids in and around San Bernardino, California.
Clark said his family discovered earlier this week that the toys were missing from a shed outside the house Clark bought for his mother shortly after the Packers drafted him in the first round in 2016.
“We don’t know if it’s somebody that knows what’s going on and doing something that’s just mean or cruel, or it’s just a random person just taking toys or taking whatever that was in there,” Clark said Thursday.
Clark said the plan was to provide gifts for up to 300 kids in the area. The toy distribution still took place as scheduled Thursday, thanks to some last-minute donations. It’s the second year of Clark’s toy drive.
“A lot of people have stepped up,” Clark said. “I know they created a GoFundMe account and people have been donating to that, just to get some of the toys back for the kids. All that stuff has been pretty cool. There’s been a lot of people have been hitting us up and trying to do the best they can to help.”
Clark said he and his family had been collecting the toys, which included brand new bikes, for months. They have been in contact with police and also said they have surveillance cameras on their property.
“It’s just messed up, man,” Clark said. “It’s messed up, man. It’s for a bunch of kids, man. It’s difficult, especially for my family and my mom. My mom, she works hard to do it. It’s really difficult for her because she worked so hard throughout the whole year putting it together. It’s a messed-up situation.”
Packers linebacker Clay Matthews said he’d talk to Clark to see if there was anything he could do.
“It’s a shame. Thieves, there’s no moral code or anything, especially with those gifts and who they were going to. It’s unfortunate. There’s some scumbag people out there. You’d like to think that people are better than that.”
“… With only a few days before Christmas, that’s terrible — terrible to hear.”