Things You'll Need:
- A phone book or Internet connection to look up charitable organizations.
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Step 1
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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Step 2
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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Step 3
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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Step 4
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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Step 5
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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Step 6
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.
Comments
kristenpita said
on 5/23/2009 Hello,It's Kristen Pita, founder of Mushy Mates charity. Can you please update Mushy Mates charity info on your ehow article about donating stuffed animals? People now can donate to any of their local foster care agencies, family homeless shelters or battered women's shelters(google it) in Mushy Mates charity name. Please remove any info about Extra Space Storage from the article, they no longer are helping Muhsy Mates collect or store our stuffed animals. Thanks so much. It's now over 150,000 gently used stuffed stuffed animals collected and distributed since 2004. Thanks! www.MushyMates.com *Based out of Florida but helps children from all 50 states.