My house is being taken over by stuffed animals and I am at a loss with what to do with them. My girls (2 &4) have their favorites but there are literally 100 others that very rarely ever get touched or played with. What in the world do you do with them? I would donate them but I dont know of any charity that would want or be able to make use of a used stuffed animal.
Thanks in advance
http://www.stuffedanimalsforemergencies.org/Chapters.html
It doesn't look like NY has a chapter member for this organization, but there is a contact.
When my daughters stuffies start to take over her bed we pick out which ones to give to kids who need them.
I would try to sell them at a yard sale, then freecycle or donate what don't sell, either to Goodwill or to a pet shelter.
Contact the police department or local ambulance in your area. Sometimes they give stuffed animals to children after a house fire or car accident. It gives the child something to hang onto.
My only other suggestion would be a local domestic violence shelter.
Choose the ones in decent condition, wash and dry, then drop them off at a women's shelter/refuge. Quite often mothers with children will turn up with nothing at all, escaping from domestic violence. Any soiled or damaged ones throw out.
I have a tote that stays in the corner of my 3.5yo DD's room.
When it gets too full, she has to pick out a few toys to say good-bye to.
Then I donate them to the women's shelter in our area. Many of the residents have young children who don't have anything, and could use a lovey.
Freecycle, Deseret Industries, thrift shop, yard sale.
Lots of people buy used stuffed animals, we just make sure we run them through the wash after we buy them used.
Check with nursing homes...... several years ago, someone from a local care facility came to our church garage sale and bought a BUNCH of nicer stuffed animals...... the residents really liked having them , and I think the staff would pin the call button to the stuffed animal, making it easier for the resident to find it.
My M. sleeps with a stuffed animal....... a LOT of people like to have something to cuddle with! (She is 90...)
I like to drape my arm over a pillow.... but really, a stuffie would be nice, too...
My suggestion is to look for foster care groups. Some kids are taken away from their homes with absolutely nothing and a stuffed animal of their own could be a huge blessing.
animal shelters will sometimes take them also - the dogs/cats like them. Another option for nice ones are daycares, or just a general donation pick-up place.
Hospitals used to be able to take them because they could sanitize them and then give them out in the ER or pediatric ward. I donated some to a local hospital when my oldest was younger. Check with local hospitals to see if that's an option.
Outside of that, look for textile recycling. We had a textile recycling truck at one of my kids' schools and the stuffed animal donations were HUGE.
A hospital visit? A local shelter that take in women and children?
Collect them up, run them through a wash and dry if they need it, then take then and your girls to the place of your choice and have then hand out the stuffies to the children.
Our local thrift store takes everything.
Some schools auction them off for Drug Awareness week.
My sister got a carpet roll, like the inside of a roll of paper towels the covered it with something like carpet squares that were sort of softer than some of the others.
She used drapery curtain hooks and put a ribbon on each animal's neck. She wedged the roll standing up from the floor to the ceiling in a corner about 6 inches out then hung the stuffed animals all over her pole.
Since the fabric that covers the pole is loopy the curtain hooks can slide down into it and leave a hook showing for the ribbon to lay in.
These, like picture A but UPSIDE down. Like a coat rack hook.
http://homewindowscreens.com/window-treatments/curtain-ho...
My sister had a large net in her bedroom that stretched across the corner of the wall. All of the lesser used animals were tossed in there. She could see them and pull them out if she wanted, but they were off the floor and out of the way.
I donate them to goodwill. I also have only 6-10 out at a time. 1 or 2 on each girl's bed and the other 5 or so in a basket on the floor. The rest (there are more!) are shoved into two large bags (the ones a big comforter or "bed in a bag" come in) and hidden behind the bed. So the kids pull those out and play with them now and again. I can cram tons of small ones in the zipper bags, it's the giant ones like pillow pets that are such wastes of space.
If I move the girls to a smaller room, I might look at getting some large flat plastic bag or bin I can fit them in and slide under the bed. It's better when they are out of sight and then when they bring them out once a week or so they actually play with them.
We used a corner hammock for them until my kids were old enough and finally ready to get rid of some, then we donated them to the homeless shelter and animal shelter.
Goodwill will take them.
Get the corner hammock net and put them up there. You can hang in any corner. Police and ambulance will not take used stuffed animals. Hospitals will not take either..
donate them!!
if you can wash them - do - and you can take them to your local children's hospital. Call and check first - make sure they meet the requirements for the children there.
A local W.'s shelter could probably use them as well.
Or donate to Goodwill!
