CHARLOTTE, N.C. (QUEEN CITY NEWS) – A real-life Grinch was swindling a Charlotte non-profit on Christmas day.

Rebuilding Together of Greater Charlotte helps with free, critical home repairs and other projects in neighborhoods across the city. Still, their efforts are hindered until they find the trailer filled with tools stolen right from under them.

Executive Director at Rebuilding Together Beth Morrison said, “They must have thought, ‘Christmas Day, we know everyone is going to be home with their families; that’s a great time to come in and steal from a charity.'”

Morrison told Queen City News that the trailer was filled with materials, tools, and even a toilet that was supposed to be installed in one of their home projects.

She and other team members did everything right to protect their equipment.

“It was all the way backed up to our dock area, and we thought, ‘there’s definitely not enough room for anybody to get into the back of the trailer,'” she said. “It’s unfortunate; all the security cameras. None of that deterred them.”

Cameras didn’t stop the crooks, but they did capture the whole thing, and Morrison hoped someone would know who was behind the wheel of a grey Toyota Tacoma.

“They came in, took them about twenty minutes in and out to unhook our trailer from our truck, hook it up to their truck, and they were on their way,” Morison said.

The tools and trailer come out to about $7,500, but their work will slow down significantly until they find it.

“For the time being, we’ll only be able to work on one project at a time,” Morrison explained.

Now she has a belated Christmas wish for whoever took their stuff.

 “Hopefully, they’ve slipped up somewhere else, and maybe they do this a lot?” she said.

Morrison added they couldn’t get a read on a license plate on the truck because it had been removed.

Rebuilding Together has filed a police report, and they’re working with CMPD to find their trailer and tools.

If you recognize the truck or know anything, you can contact Crime Stoppers.