NORMAL - For the first time this year, Nicole Henson was able to buy Christmas presents for her two children without anyone's help, and that made her happy. | Want to help? Find out how

The 31-year-old single mother, a recent college graduate, finally has a job that pays the bills and let her buy her gifts for Deandre, 11, and Tariah, 5.

That joy was shattered Monday when she found someone had broken into her apartment's basement storage unit and took everything.

"I ended up crying," she said. "It was the first Christmas I could afford to give them Christmas on my own - most of the time I'd go to agencies and get help."

Based on her receipts, police said 18 items totaling more than $600 in value were stolen. They included dolls, board games, video games, a video game system and a game controller and even a 12-pack of batteries.

"My daughter really wanted a (pink) Nintendo DS," Henson said. "I found her one - now you can't find them."

Henson, assistant manager at Monical's Pizza, 718 Eldorado Road, Bloomington, graduated from Heartland Community College and then from Illinois State University in May. With college behind her, she looked forward to Christmas this year.

"I went out in one day and bought it all," she said of her Dec. 10 shopping spree. She then locked everything in the storage unit at her building on Shelbourne Drive in Normal so her children wouldn't find them, she said.

On Monday, she went to wrap them, and that's when she discovered the break-in. Police said the lock had been pried off.

"It hurts me deeply to know someone has taken from my children," she said in a letter she wrote to the editor of The Pantagraph. "This is the season to give and someone has gone out of their way to take instead."

She said she doesn't have the money to replace the gifts and she doesn't know what she is going to do.

"The economy is bad enough that people are stealing from others, but how is someone supposed to be able to provide a Christmas for their children when the only one they can afford is stolen from them?" she said.

Those looking to help the family can drop off items at McLean County's Toys for Toys office, 1306 E. Empire St., Bloomington, said Matt Drat, coordinator of the U.S. Marine Corps Reserve Program. The office is open from 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.

Drat said he spoke to Nicole Henson on Wednesday morning, and the program will be helping the family as much as it can. Drat said any donations from community members would be helpful, especially in helping to replace some of the more expensive items that were stolen.

"Toys for Tots will be taking care of her this Christmas," he said. "This is exactly what we do."

Normal Firefighters Local 2448 Wednesday were the first to call.

Toys for Tots and the firefighters are replacing the Christmas presents stolen from a storage unit, said Drat.

"They literally were the first responders," he said.

He said other people called and volunteered to help with others who needed it, and he told them the drop sites for toys are listed on their website.

Drat said firefighters even located a hard to find video game system.

"It's really cool - they plan to deliver them in a big fire truck," he said.

On the Web:

http://www.mcleantoysfortots.org