The Teddy Bear Brigade
A simple plush toy makes all the difference to a child
We re-home an average of 34,000+ plush toys per year — around the world — into the hands of kids directly affected by some of the worse circumstances imaginable.
In fact, plush toys remain the most requested item on a shipment headed to not just disasters, but also for our neighbors facing homelessness or to wait in a police car until needed to comfort a child.
Early in our history – it’s hard to pinpoint exactly when – we started receiving donations of stuffed animals. They arrived in plastic trash bags, brown boxes, and duffel bags and more than likely from parents or grandparents who understood the positive emotional impact a simple stuffed animal has on a child.
For most of us, stuffed animals were a special part of our childhood. They were our friends, our comforters, our confidants. We all had our very favorite “stuffie” with a very special name. And what a unique one-of-a kind bond we had with them!
It’s that connection to our childhood that prompted us to develop The Teddy Bear Brigade, a program that lets us touch the innocence of childhood with a new or gently loved plush toy.
In the two decades since the arrival of those first donations, more than 575,000 stuffed animals, or plush toys as we now call them, have been re-homed to kids throughout the USA and over 30 countries worldwide!
Can you imagine being a child victim of a natural disaster ? All of a sudden there are horrible noises, or a blinding rainstorm and everything familiar, absolutely EVERYTHING is gone. It must be impossible to understand. Why can’t you go home? Why can’t you have your toys? You may have to live with relatives or in a car. Maybe you have to sleep in some big place on the floor among strangers. Your parents keep dragging you to odd places to get food, or clothes, or a bed to sleep in, maybe a blanket. And all of a sudden, some stranger hands you a stuffed animal and says it’s all yours. Then a beautiful smile happens. A most wonderful smile in the midst of tragedy and struggle and loss. A stuffed animal becomes an instant friend, a confidant, a little piece of normalcy, a face who will share your nights. I have seen many hundreds of those miraculous happy smiles. Please help us at Gleaning make more of them.”
— Roy St. John
Causes we send plush toys to on our shipments & throughout our community
- Natural disasters – (tornadoes, hurricanes, floods, wildfires, volcano eruptions, winter storms) shelters, churches, other disaster partners, community groups that distribute to the public
- Man-made disasters (war, conflict, refugee camps)
- Children living in poverty
- Children living in extremely poor communities
- Children living in orphanages
- A US children’s hospital (in FL)
- Immigrant children adjusting to life in a new country (children coming across our southern border + Afghan children in Ft Pickett)
- Children attending Vacation Bible School (overseas)
From children fleeing their homes in war-ravaged lands to children experiencing the devastating effects of natural disasters — like tornadoes – hurricanes – floods — the simple gesture of offering a plush toy to a child brightens their eyes with hope. The following note shares a prime example of why we value this program so highly.
Questions?
Use the form below to send us your inquiry about our Teddy Bear Brigade program and we’ll get back to you as soon as possible.
Are your plush toys looking for a new home?
Whether you want to give by check, send your plush toys by shipment or deliver them yourselves – we’ve made it incredibly easy for you to help provide hope to thousands with just the click of the mouse or a tap of the thumb. Did we mention its tax deductible?