The burglars ransacked the place, taking all the Christmas gifts from under the tree and her children's toys.
"All their toys, all their Christmas toys, all of their entertainment - they have video games, all gone," Cruz said.
Officer Isreal Gonzalez came to investigate.
"I couldn't even imagine how those children would feel and it really hit me hard. I couldn't believe it," Gonzalez said.
He mentioned it to his partners in the family real estate business.
And they were off and running.
"It became public yesterday morning that we would host a drop-off for the family and as of noon yesterday we've had a constant flow of donations come in," said Alex Morales of Reading Realty Group.
The Christmas gifts and other material things the thieves took from this house may be gone forever. But, the Cruz family now has the greatest gift of all.
The gift of love.
"There are a lot of very generous people in this community, who really pull together in times of need," said Christina Talerico of Chris Talerice & Associates.
The gifts and cash donations have been pouring in for two days now.
Lydia Cruz says her three children have gone from tears to squeals of delight.
From broken dreams, to what could turn into the best Christmas ever.
