SALISBURY, MASS. (WHDH) - The Salisbury community came together over the weekend to help a local Boys and Girls Club that was ransacked last month.
Dozens of people came out Sunday for a fundraiser benefiting the club, one month after a thief or thieves broke into the Boys and Girls Club of Lower Merrimack Valley.
“The donations have been unbelievable and we couldn’t ask for anything better,” said Salisbury Community TV Chairman Gil Medeiros.
Salisbury Community TV teamed up with Uncle Eddie’s Oceanside Tavern to put on the event, aiming to raising money to help the club build back.
Windows were broken, safes were busted and offices were left in disarray after the June break-in. Those behind it were able to make off with thousands of dollars, replica Celtics and Patriots championship rings, GoPro cameras and scholarship money that had been set aside.
The break-in also left a sense of unease, felt even by the children who benefit from the club, according to Program Director Katie Beal.
“They broke into their safe space, where they feel at home,” Beal said. “They feel like they can break into their house, too, if they can break into their safe space at the club.”
Beal said that since the break-in, the club has been double-checking their doors and windows to ensure they are locked. For her, Sunday offered a chance to forget about the negatives and focus on the importance of a club that means so much to her.
“I was a club kid growing up in my hometown, I was a kid on scholarship, in a single-parent home – I saw first-hand what Boys and Girls Clubs do for families.” she told 7NEWS.
Sunday’s fundraiser included live music, 40 donated raffle items and a display that highlighted Salisbury’s commitment to the club.
“This community always comes together,” Medeiros said. “We had a fire not too long ago down the street from here and we came out as a community. Here in Salisbury, we all try to come together in these situations.”
The Boys and Girls Club told 7NEWS police are still investigating the break-in, and that they have a few people of interest in the case.
(Copyright (c) 2026 Sunbeam Television. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)