How to Donate Stuffed Animals to Kids in Need
In this season of giving, why not go through those piles of stuffed animals in your home, clean them up a bit, and give them to children in need? Although many well-meaning individuals have found that donations of stuffed animals aren't always appreciated, a number of organizations do welcome donations of new and gently used stuffed friends.
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Things You'll Need
- A phone book or Internet connection to look up charitable organizations.
Instructions
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Begin by calling your local police department, sheriff's department or fire department. You'd be surprised how many will accept small stuffed animals to calm children involved in accidents, accompany children en route to a hospital, or soothe kids who are lost or involved in custody incidents. These stuffed animals are often kept by children as a remembrance.
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Check to see if there is a chapter of Stuffed Animals For Emergencies (SAFE) near you. SAFE volunteers collect new and gently used stuffed animals and toys to be redistributed to police, fire & rescue, ambulance services, children's homes, hospitals, life flight, and other emergency organizations. The SAFE website is stuffedanimalsforemergencies.org.
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Try donating your stuffed animals to Project Night Night, an organization that donates individual tote bags to homeless children ages 0-10, each filled with a security blanket, an age-appropriate book, and a stuffed animal. Project Night Night has donated more than 24,000 Night Night Packages to children in shelters across the country. The organization has drop-off locations in Arizona, California and Ohio, and a website that explains how to mail in donations.
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Do some research in your community to find out if any homeless shelters, battered women's shelters or senior centers accept donations of stuffed animals. Many senior centers and nursing homes accept small stuffed animals and Beanie Babies as Bingo prizes, and women's shelters often house children who had to flee their homes quickly and without their favorite stuffed animals and toys.
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If you have stuffed animals that were never used or are still in their original packaging, check the Toys for Tots website for information about how to donate. Toys for Tots collects toys for children of all ages, from newborns to teens, from Oct. 28 through Dec. 9 at all Toys 'R' Us and Babies 'R' Us locations across the country. Toys do not have to be purchased at those stores to be eligible for donation, and any new, unwrapped toy is welcome.
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If you live in Florida, you can donate gently used stuffed animals To foster children and other needy kids, thanks to Mushy Mates, a non-profit, organization that accepts used stuffed animal donations from all 50 states. Mushy Mates turns over stuffed animals to case workers who work with foster children, and has donated more than 150,000 over the past three years. People now can donate to any of their local foster care agencies, family homeless shelters or battered women's shelters in Mushy Mates' charity name. Many thanks to Kristen Pita for suggesting Mushy Mates after reading my original article! For more information, email MushyMates@MushyMates.com.
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Tips & Warnings
Make sure the stuffed animals you donate are clean and look new. Nothing makes someone who is down on their luck or ill feel worse than receiving a dirty used item.
