Another Reason To Reuse and Recycle

I recently spoke to a group of moms who are members of the Johnson County, Kansas chapter of Mothers and More. A lot of the questions I received pertained to their kids toys and how and when to get rid of things One Johnson County mom compared the task of purging her children's toys to watching Woody in Toy Story 2 get tossed in the donation box. She felt so guilty tossing those stuffed animals when those little plastic eyes were looking up at her! Another wise JoCo mom shared a perfect way to clean out your kids stuff and pay forward some kindness as well.

She told us about this terrific organization called Stuffed Animals For Emergencies (SAFE).
SAFE is a 14-year-old non-profit organization run completely by volunteers. There are 14 chapters of SAFE across the United States. They collect various items such as stuffed animals, toys, books and baby blankets to benefit children during emergency situations such as fires, illness, accidents, neglect, abuse, homelessness and even weather emergencies such as tornadoes, floods and hurricanes. SAFE also donates the items to other childrens organizations, military organizations, libraries and even nursing homes. They accept new and gently used items for donation. What a great way to reuse and recycle stuffed animals, toys, books and baby blankets that so many us have in our homes.

It can be difficult to part with items that belonged to our kids when we think they just end up in the trash. SAFE gives you the opportunity to clear out the clutter and help a child in a difficult situation. After the Moms and More meeting, I went home and talked to my kids about SAFE. We filled a couple of boxes full of stuffed animals and books. We felt great about giving to kids who really needed a reason to smile.

Check out http://www.stuffedanimalsforemergencies.org/ if you have items to donate. There is a SAFE chapter in Kansas City, Missouri.