Say this for Boy Scout Troop 611 of San Jose, Calif.: Even in the midst of a crisis, they can be counted on to help others.

Hours after thieves took more than $2,500 worth of belongings from the Scouts' van as they ate lunch on Friday, the young men cleared Bellows Beach of 36 bags of garbage, living up to the official Scout slogan, "Do a good turn daily."

"Sometimes bad things happen, no matter where you go," Thomas Shinagawa, 15, said. "We just kind of moved on."

Now the 11 Scouts and five adult leaders are hoping the thieves will take note and at the very least, return some undeveloped film and digital memory cards from the cameras that were stolen.

Among the items taken was a Canon Powershot digital camera that was a birthday gift to Tyler Nii, who turned 16 just one month ago.

"We locked our doors, we hid everything in our backpacks; they just got to it," Tyler said. "Now we take all our backpacks with us, and nothing's in the car."

The camera included a digital memory card that could hold 2,000 pictures, Tyler said. He had more than 200 photos from his trip through Hawai'i.

"I'm just kind of sad inside," he said. "It meant a lot. You just can't replace 200 pictures."

Tyler and his fellow scouts range in age from 14 to 16. Of all the items he'd like back, he said he wants the group photos in front of all the major sights.

"I really wish I could get those back," he said. "We went through all that stuff, and we just want to remember all the good times."

Visitor Aloha Society of Hawai'i president Jessica Rich said, "Those are memories that they really cherish. We would like to request on behalf of the Boy Scouts that these items are returned."

Rich's comments came at a news conference yesterday where a list of stolen items was made public.

Brian Beutler, one of the troop's adult leaders, said their stop on Friday at McDonald's in Waimanalo was the first time everybody in the van didn't take their backpacks. "Every other stop we've had, we've taken our backpacks with us," he said.

This is the fourth trip in the past 12 years for scout master Stan Kawamata, a native of Maui, and assistant scout master Al Hironaga, a Honolulu native, with Troop 611.

The Hawai'i trip is an event the troop shoots for every four years, and the Scouts have to do their own fundraising to make it possible.

Troop 611 raised $15,000, Beutler said, with each member holding a fundraiser such as a car wash, selling gift cards, or recycling cans and bottles.

Friday's theft marked the first time they ever had anything stolen on a trip.

Thomas Shinegawa, 15, had $700 in travelers checks and $70 in cash stolen. He said the $70 was to buy souvenirs for his friends and family.

"My mom started to cry, but we got everything worked out," Thomas said, adding that the experience was a "little stressful."

The troop has been in Hawai'i since July 17 and leaves Thursday. So far, the Scouts haven't let the ordeal spoil their trip.

After cleaning up the beach, they went bodyboarding.

Yesterday, the Visitor Aloha Society started calling businesses to find some help for the troop. Rainbow Drive-In donated dinner, Dole Pineapple Plantation gave them free tickets, the Bishop Museum invited them to a tour and the Polynesian Cultural Center also offered free admission.

"There's an outpouring of aloha for the Boy Scouts," Rich said. "I'm hoping that when they leave here, they know how much the community cares — that that is going to be the memory they have, not of the (theft)."

The crime also illustrates the problem of car break-ins.

Through June, the Visitor Aloha Society of Hawai'i reported 281 car break-ins affecting tourists, compared with 413 last year at the same time.

"The No. 1 crime against visitors is car break-ins," Rich said. "I actually believe some of the perpetrators make a living off it — that's how bad it is."

Reach Robert Shikina at rshikina@honoluluadvertiser.com.