Local Pharmacy Participating in Teddy Bear Drive

The Philadelphia Children’s Alliance has partnered with Hopkins Pharmacy in Roxborough to help meet the Alliance’s goal of collecting 3,000 teddy bears.

The Philadelphia Children’s Alliance is a nonprofit that provides services to the city’s child sexual abuse victims.

Every child that comes to the Alliance receives a teddy bear to help them through the traumatic experience.

“While it doesn’t completely take away the pain associated with this traumatic life event, it does provide comfort and helps move every child who visits our facility from being a victim to a survivor,” the alliance said in a press release.

“Stuffed animals are needed year around to serve our clients and their siblings who we also allow to select a teddy bear,” the press release continues.

To help the Alliance, the Hopkins Pharmacy located at 7700 Ridge Ave. will serve as a collection site for the Children’s Alliance teddy bear drive beginning on Sept. 9, which is also National Teddy Bear Day.

The pharmacy will collect bears until Sept. 13.

The Philadelphia Children’s Alliance has provided guidelines on what kind of teddy bears will be accepted as donations:

No used toys or stuffed animals of any kind. Toys and stuffed animals must be new and retain their tags so they can be checked for safety (per Pennsylvania state law).

Donations should not be gift wrapped or boxed; we need to check everything for safety. Miscellaneous items (such as clothing and accessories), in most cases, will be removed.

The filling for stuffed animals must be fabric or solid foam. No shredded foam, small pellets or beans can be used as filler. The paint on surfaces should also be non-toxic and contain no lead.

The outside “fur” on stuffed animals should not be brittle or harsh to the touch. Keep in mind that most small children will not only cuddle the animals but may put them in their mouths.

“Humorous” toys and animals may cause fears and misconceptions and are therefore discouraged.

Holiday items, while appropriate within a season, are hard for us to store out-of-season.

Large stuffed animals cannot be distributed to clients and their families (the perfect teddy size is between 6-13 inches).

 Some statistics to help guide your purchasing decisions

43% of the children we serve are age 6 or below. Stuffed animals that are between 6-10 inches are most appropriate for this age group. They should be cheery, bright, and cuddly.

39% of the children we serve are between 7-12 years of age. Stuffed animals that are between 10-13 inches are most appropriate for this age group.

Boys appreciate: anything sports related, any type of popular cartoon/movie character

Girls appreciate: anything princess or fairy-oriented, pink and frilly

Overall: All children like plain bears that are comfy and soft.