New London - All day Thursday, Missy Kaika felt as if she was going to throw up. She cried twice.

"Listen to me. My stomach is so sick,'' the mother of four who lives in the Thames River Apartments on Crystal Avenue said Thursday.

Kaika was sick with joy.

After sending out an SOS to the community on Wednesday for toys and other Christmas gifts for the 80 or so children who live in the federally subsidized housing complex, Kaika was overwhelmed with donations - and by the community's generosity.

"These kids are going to have the best Christmas of their lives,'' she said. "I wish I were a kid today.''

For the second year in a row, Kaika organized a holiday party for the children of the 125 families that live in the high-rise apartments. And while she collected plenty of presents last year, this year she came up short. Way short. A toy drive her brother did at the El 'n' Gee club only brought in a dozen gifts.

After a story about the situation was published in The Day on Thursday, people started bringing gifts to the Crystal Avenue apartments and the New London Housing Authority office on Walden Avenue. Some of the toys arrived in a Waterford fire truck.

"The phone won't stop ringing," Kaika said. "I've had two phones to my ear all day. ... People are calling from out of state.

"I'm so thankful. I've never seen anything like this in my life. We're getting all kinds of gifts for the kids ... all from the kindness of people's hearts.''

Sue Shontell, executive director of the Housing Authority, said the community deserves a "big thank you." People started dropping off teddy bears, dolls, games and bags of toys on the doorstep of the office at 8:15 a.m., she said.

"A plumbing truck showed up,'' Shontell said. "And little old ladies dressed in red and green sweaters. It's been non-stop.''

Kaika, who works as a waitress at Johnny Rockets at Mohegan Sun, said she had to call in to work to ask for the day off. Her boss, she said, took her shift and told her to "keep doing what I'm doing.''

"I had one lady slip a Dunkin' Donuts card in my pocket. She she said it was for me, to take a break,'' Kaika said.

The community room at the complex, where Kaika has organized a cupcake decorating party for today with the Housing Authority, is now filled with clothes, hats, books, bikes, toys and games. Worried just hours before that some children wouldn't get any gifts at all, she happily said they will now get plenty.

Kaika summed up the community's generosity simply: "I want to hug everyone,'' she said.

k.edgecomb@theday.com