Irreplaceable Puppets Stolen From Assistance League In Stockton
STOCKTON (CBS13) — Four puppets and props were stolen from the vehicle of an Assistance League employee Thursday.
Beverly Lewis-Clarke, Assistance League chapter president, said two duffel bags containing the puppets and props were taken from her car while it was parked at the Venetian Gardens in Stockton.
Lewis-Clarke says these puppets are irreplaceable because they were made by a company that is no longer in business. She is scrambling to find new puppets and is even reaching out to other chapters around the country to get any puppets.
The hand puppets are about three-feet tall children in school closes.
The puppets are used in a program called Kids on the Block, which teaches third-graders about bullying, divorce, and other subjects.
Lewis-Clarke and members of the club had finished their program at Brookside Elementary school when she stopped at the Venetian Gardens.
The Assistance League is a nonprofit organization which provides dental, cultural, basic-need, and literacy programs. Their programs are funded through sales from their thrift store located 1319 E. Harding Way in Stockton.
Month, a suspected arsonist shutdown the store, cutting nearly 75 percent of their income, according to Lewis-Clarke. After three weeks, the store re-opened its doors on Tuesday.
