SHREWSBURY — Shreds of gift wrap and tissue paper, in seasonal red and white, still lay crumpled and strewn on the shed floor Wednesday morning, a reminder of the heartless act that took place on the grounds of St. Anne’s Catholic Church.

A storage shed containing hundreds of Christmas gifts, collected over the course of the year for the neediest children, was ransacked between Monday night and Tuesday afternoon, the thief clearing shelves of all but a plush toy and a basketball.