28 Years of Bringing Hope
Sometimes, the smallest gift can bring the greatest comfort. Imagine being a child whose world has suddenly changed. A storm may have destroyed your home. Conflict may have forced your family to leave everything familiar behind. You may be frightened, confused and surrounded by people and places you do not know… And then someone places a teddy bear in your arms.
It cannot rebuild a home or erase frightening memories. But for a child whose world has been shaken, that soft, cuddly friend can provide important things such as comfort, security and something familiar to hold onto. That is the heart behind Gleaning For The World’s Teddy Bear Brigade.
A Simple Gift That Makes a Difference
Earlier this month, National Teddy Bear Day offered a special reminder of the comfort a simple stuffed animal can provide. For Gleaning For The World, that message has special meaning because of the hundreds of thousands of stuffed animals our Teddy Bear Brigade has placed into the arms of children facing some of life’s most difficult circumstances. Through the years, Gleaning For The World has distributed more than 725,000 new and gently loved stuffed animals to children affected by natural disasters, war, conflict, poverty and other heartbreaking situations.
Seven hundred twenty-five thousand is an incredible number. But behind that number are hundreds of thousands of individual children. Think about just one.
One teddy bear placed into the arms of a frightened child. One child given something soft to hold during an uncertain time. One child reminded that someone, somewhere, cares. That is the power of one gift.
Celebrating 28 Years of Helping People in Need
This September is meaningful to Gleaning For The World for another reason. We are celebrating 28 years of helping people in need. When we look back on those 28 years, we see much more than warehouses, trucks, shipping containers and millions of pounds of humanitarian aid. We see people.
We see the child clutching a teddy bear after a disaster. We see the mother receiving essential supplies for her family. We see people thousands of miles away whose circumstances are a little better because someone here chose to care. And we see the countless donors, volunteers, businesses, churches, organizations and community partners who have made this work possible. For 28 years, Gleaning For The World has been able to respond to people in need because others have chosen to help, one gift at a time.
Beginning Our 29th Year With Hope
As we celebrate this anniversary and begin our 29th year of service, our mission continues. When disasters strike and families are hurting, we will continue working to provide humanitarian aid and essential supplies where they are needed. And sometimes, among those supplies will be something as simple as a teddy bear for a frightened child who desperately needs something to hold.
The needs throughout our world can seem enormous, but compassion begins with individual acts of kindness. One gift. One act of compassion. One life touched. As we celebrate 28 years of service, we invite you to be part of the next chapter of Gleaning For The World. Your support helps us continue reaching people facing disasters, poverty, conflict and other difficult circumstances, both here at home and around the world.
As Gleaning For The World begins its 29th year, your gift can help provide humanitarian aid, essential supplies and comfort to people facing some of life’s most difficult circumstances. Please click here if you would like to make a secure online donation to Gleaning For The World.
In service and partnership,
