Not much of what District Judge Ronald N. Costa encounters in his Bloomfield office and at the courthouse, Downtown, amazes him.

But the judge was flabbergasted, and a bit angry, at the audacity of the thief or thieves who stole $300 worth of pop tabs from the back yard of the Ronald McDonald House in Shadyside last week.

The tabs are recycled and the melted metal is sold as scrap with the proceeds benefiting families who are unable to pay the $11-a-night lodging fee at the house.

"It made me feel bad when you see people who can't even afford to spend $11 a night while their child's being attended to in the hospital," Costa said.

No arrests have been made in the case.

But Costa, unable to deliver a dose of judicial punishment, emptied his pockets instead -- and collected a whole lot of pop tabs.

Costa, along with local businesses and an Upper St. Clair couple, have pledged more than $1,100 to the charity, much to the delight of officials at the house.

"It's just amazing how this community responds to the needs of kids and especially the Ronald McDonald House," said Bill Grattan, executive director at the house. "We're very fortunate."

The house, on Shady Avenue, provides shelter for families of children being treated for life-threatening diseases at hospitals in the area.

The house participates in the "Pop Tab Collection Program," a national charity that collects the tabs from aluminum cans.

Last Thursday, sometime after 9:30 p.m., someone hauled away eight, grayish-blue, 30-gallon plastic trash cans full of pop tabs that sat behind the house. The stolen tabs would have netted the house about $300.

Costa plans to deliver a $300 check to the house tomorrow, along with about a dozen gallon-sized bottles filled with pop tabs he collected from family and friends.

Neville Metals, a scrap metal recycling plant on Neville Island, has sent a $500 check to the charity. And Wheel Deliver, a food delivery service in Squirrel Hill, has forwarded a $300 check.

Upper St. Clair residents Nicole and Daniel Campbell sent a $55 check to pay for the lodging for a Detroit mother who stayed at the house earlier this month so that her daughter could receive follow-up care at Children's Hospital for a double lung transplant she received almost five years ago.

Asked what the pop tab thief would face if he wound up in his courtroom, Costa replied: "He's in trouble. He's in real trouble."