Donated Caylee Anthony shoes cause outrage

ORLANDO - The decision by the grandmother of murdered Orlando toddler Caylee Anthony to donate her granddaughter's shoes to charity sparked the ire of some nearby residents, MyFOXorlando.com reported late Thursday.

Cindy Anthony, whose daughter Casey Anthony has been charged with the murder, announced her plans to donate Caylee's shoes to the Children of Love Foundation, a charity that aims to feed and clothe needy children in central Florida and Central America.

The 17-year-old organization was quickly inundated with hateful phone calls and e-mails slamming the donation, according to founder Doris Patalano.

Patalano, who did not want to be directly quoted, said strangers warned her to stay away from the Anthony family to avoid getting dragged into the media circus that has surrounded them since Caylee's 2008 disappearance. Others even threatened to protest Saturday's shoe drive.

Cindy Anthony said she was just trying to "do a good thing" and that she hoped donating some of Caylee's belongings would help her heal. She added that the drive should be about helping the most children, not about her or anyone else in the Anthony family.

Casey Anthony pleaded not guilty to first degree murder and maintains Caylee was kidnapped and murdered by a babysitter. Her trial is scheduled to start next May.

Read more: http://www.myfoxorlando.com/dpp/news/anthony_case/082610-cindy-to-donate-caylee-shoes