Lions and tigers and bears, oh my!

Friday, May. 30, 2014

BOUNTIFUL — “Oh my” for sure in the Saint Olaf School kindergarten class this month as they worked very hard to collect as many new and gently used stuffed animals as possible to donate to Stuffed Animals for Emergencies (SAFE).  

“SAFE collects all sorts of things like stuffed animals, books, children’s/baby blankets and kid’s clothes,” Chiara Jacketta explained. 

These items benefit children during emergency situations such as fires, illness, accidents, neglect, abuse, homelessness and even weather emergencies such as tornadoes, floods and hurricanes. SAFE cleans any used items and then donates them to organizations such as police, fire  and rescue, ambulances services, medical helicopters, children’s services, hospitals and other emergency services to be given directly to children in emotional, traumatic or stressful situations to provide comfort when it is needed most.

“Kids who have to ride to the hospital in an ambulance might not be so scared if they could hold a teddy bear,” Victoria Jimenez remarked.

To collect the stuffed animals, “we had fliers put in the brown envelopes for all the students,” Eli Albertson said.

Also, announcements were made in the parish bulletin so that the entire Saint Olaf community was given an opportunity to participate in this great service project.

“Lots of people brought stuffed animals and blankets for the kids who might be scared if they were in an accident,” Kaleb Whitaker said.

After almost three weeks, Ms. Andrea Grafton’s kindergarten class had huge bags and boxes full of all sorts of stuffed animals, children’s clothing, and blankets ready for donation to SAFE so that children in frightening situations can find some comfort from these cuddly gifts.