How and Where to Donate Stuffed Animals

By Katie M

A reader wrote to us the other day and asked if we knew of places throughout the Triad that would accept used stuffed animals, and if not, would we blog about it. She was cleaning out old toys to make room for all the new ones that arrived during the holiday season. I think I wrote back saying, “Sure, no problem. We’ll pull together and get it uploaded on TSP.” Well, little did I know at the time that finding places that accept used stuffed animals is more difficult than finding Zhu Zhu pets!

The obvious places you’d choose for toy donations, like Goodwill, no longer accept used stuffed animals. And it has nothing to do with germs, but more to do with regulations regarding the fire retardancy of the materials inside. Who knew? Like many of us, the reader who wrote us has a million stuffed animals that have been hugged maybe once or twice, and then crammed into the “stuffed animal basket” never to be loved again.

So, I am calling on all of you, our readers, to see if you’ve ever been in this predicament before. If you know of any organizations in the Triad that accept used stuffed animals, please list your suggestions in the comments below, or email us here! If we get enough responses, we’ll post a follow up to this blog!

Here are some ideas I found with help from www.ehow.com (I love that web site, by the way!). If you’ve had first-hand experiences with any of these places below, again – send us a comment or email us directly.

1. Sometimes local police departments, sheriff’s department or fire department 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.

2. Stuffed Animals for Emergencies (SAFE) collects new and gently used stuffed animals and toys to be redistributed to police, fire and rescue, ambulance services, children’s homes, hospitals, life flight, and other emergency organization. Brandi Byers is the North Carolina representative, however, I am not sure where in NC she is located. She can be emailed at brandi_byers@yahoo.com.

3. Project Night Night, is 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. There are shelters across the country, with one here in Winston-Salem! You can contact Family Services, Inc, 1200 South Broad Street, W-S, at 724-3979.

4. Sometimes homeless shelters, battered women’s shelters or senior centers accept donations of stuffed animals.

5. Toys for Tots collect toys that were never used or are still in their original packaging for children of all ages (from newborns to teens). Their big drive is between October 28 and December 9 at all Toys R’ Us and Babies R’ us locations across the country. But here is a link to all their toy drop-off locations in the Triad.

Where else can you think of? And has anyone tried these places listed above?

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Posted by Triad Smarty Pants at 5:00 AM