Bringing Smiles to Children in Need, One Stuffed Animal at a Time

Have you ever been at home in the evening and received an unexpected text? It can be a bit jarring, especially when the phone number isn’t recognized. This happened just the other night with our communications director at Gleaning. After the text message was opened, there were no words – just a photo of a very young girl. There was a big smile on her face…she was wearing a cross necklace…and she was holding a bright pink stuffed bunny! It was later learned that she lives in Ukraine.

A video accompanied this text message: “This happened today in Zaporizhzhia City.” (This city is located in southeast Ukraine on the banks of the Dnieper River.). The short video began with blue skies and bright sunshine, but then there were multiple loud explosions followed by bursts of fire and smoke. Children were crying and screaming as many ran for safety.

Additional photos arrived that night from a missionary friend. The images included some from Turkey where a 7.8 magnitude earthquake happened this year. The missionary sent pictures of children holding stuffed animals, crayons, coloring books, and games. The kids were smiling from ear-to-ear. He had been at Gleaning’s warehouse a few weeks prior, packing a suitcase with stuffed animals and toys to take for the children. He wanted something to be able to give them as he travelled to tent cities. He asked us to pray with him for opportunities to present the gospel.

One could only imagine what these children had been through. The things they had seen, the loss they had experienced.

Yes, in Turkey, Ukraine, and even in our own communities, children are living through some very challenging times. These challenges have encouraged us to develop a deep appreciation for the items we help put into children’s hands, knowing they have the power to encourage them and bring smiles to their faces.

That’s why we started our stuffed animal project, The Teddy Bear Brigade. When a child sees a plush toy, they instinctively reach out for it. It’s a gentle friend – and it’s ‘my’ friend – something I can call my own. It also brings a smile to parents and grandparents – knowing their child or grandchild is receiving a gift.

As this message is written, we are finalizing shipping arrangements to send thousands of these special friends to partners planning Christmas events for children living in impoverished communities overseas – children living in orphanages who might otherwise not experience the joy of opening a gift on Christmas morning. Similar requests are being asked of us here in our own hometown. We are setting aside thousands more stuffed animals to be handed out during community Christmas events through social service and civic partners.

Did you know September 9th is National Teddy Bear Day – a day set aside for the observance of teddy bears? While we didn’t create this national day, every time we receive deliveries of “stuffies” (as we affectionately refer to them around the office), every time our volunteers carefully sort and pack them, and every time we include boxes packed with stuffies on containers headed to comfort children in need, we celebrate! That’s why we love our Teddy Bear Brigade! It’s not just a seasonal program that exists during the holidays. It’s not just a cute gift. It’s an important all-year long program.

On average, we provide over 35,000 plush toys each year! That’s a lot of soft, cuddly, comforting, friends! And you might be surprised to learn where all these wonderful friends come from. They come from adults, families, even children who share their compassion by donating new or gently loved plush toys for children facing dire circumstances. They mail them to us through regular post office deliveries (where we now make daily pickups)! Others are delivered by UPS or FedEx. Some donors bring them directly to our warehouse.

Since our founding in 1998, the total number of stuffies we have distributed is over 625,000! We have shipped to 21 states and 35 countries. That’s a lot of love, comfort, and companionship!

When you give to Gleaning, you help us put these loving gifts into the hands of hurting children. What better investment could we make than that! If you want to make a significant difference with your resources, please click here and give your most generous gift this month.  God bless you for considering it!