SHARE A BEAR 2020
National Teddy Bear Day – September 9th – is a day to celebrate Teddy Bears! Teddy bears, and other stuffed animals – unicorns, dolphins, bunnies, for example, bring joy to children all around the world.
Local Concord-based organization, Gleaning For The World, collects new and gently-used stuffed animals as part of their Teddy Bear Brigade program. Through this program, stuffed animals are given to children whose homes and lives have been turned upside down whenever natural disaster strikes.
“Around here, we say ‘children are the smallest victims of a natural disaster’ and it’s so true,” Jeane Smiley-Mason, Gleaning’s president said. “After disaster strikes, adults are focused on getting their families to safety and assessing any damage to their homes and communities.
Children process the trauma of an event like a natural disaster much differently than adults. That’s where the stuffed animals come in. We make sure we place plenty of stuffed animals on each of our disaster relief trucks – to ensure that while adults are receiving the supplies they need for recovery, children receive the gift of a cuddly stuffed animal, which will comfort them during a very stressful time.”
Smiley-Mason added that sometimes, a child’s favorite toy or stuffed animal might have disappeared in a storm, or even worse, a parent or loved one may have been hurt or killed. A stuffed animal will provide comfort to a child when they need it most.
Gleaning For The World also sends stuffed animals on their international shipping containers, worldwide, to children living in poverty, in orphanages, or in refugee camps. The organization distributes approximately 35,000 stuffed animals to children each year through their Teddy Bear Brigade.
In celebration of National Teddy Bear Day on September 9, Gleaning is partnering with Mister Goodies at the Timberlake Road location to collect as many stuffed animals as they can, in an event they’ve named SHARE-a-BEAR-a-THON. Mister Goodies is offering a free ice cream cone to anyone person who donates a stuffed animal to the Teddy Bear Brigade that evening from 5pm until 9pm.
More specifically, anyone who donates one new or used stuffed animal at the SHARE-a-BEAR-a-THON event will receive a ticket for one free ice cream cone. Anyone who donates three or more stuffed animals can receive any Mister Goodies menu item for free. All tickets must be redeemed at the SHARE-a-BEAR-a-THON event that night, September 9, between 5pm and 9pm.
There is no limit on the number of stuffed animals you can donate, however, there is a limit of one free ice cream per donor.
If you are ready to give your gently-used or brand new stuffed animals a new home, stop by Mister Goodies’ ice cream truck on Wednesday, September 9 from 5pm until 9pm. Drop your stuffed animals off at Gleaning’s truck in the parking lot, and visit Mister Goodies’ truck for your free ice cream!
In service and partnership,
