Soft, Stuffed and Special...Teens Donate Thousands of Toys to Charity

Lions, tigers, and every imaginable creature ever turned into something soft and snuggly were collected by two South Florida teens on a mission to put smiles on the faces of children in Haiti who have lost so much.

“With everything that has happened in Haiti, it seems like the kids there don’t have much to smile about,” said Kristin Temple. “I didn’t want to ask people for money, so I thought slightly used stuffed animals would be a good idea.”

This idea of collecting the toys took root in the mind of the 16- year-old, she said, after watching the movie Toy Story 3, where the lead character, Andy, gives away his beloved toys. So two months ago, Temple got to work, and got permission to hold drives in Boca Raton at the Ascension Catholic Church where she worships, the Publix where she works, and at Cardinal Newman School in West Palm Beach where she’s a junior.

Temple’s 17- year-old classmate, Christopher Olowin, also played a vital part in this project. He turned it into a family affair when he enlisted the help of his younger sister, who attends All Saints Catholic School in Jupiter. Olowin says that group of preteens collected 668 stuffed animals toward the cause.

“I am sure the tent cities can be a scary place at night for the young children who live there. Kids should not be afraid to sleep at night, and I am hoping these stuffed toys will provide them with a feeling of some security,” said Olowin.

After the duo collected more than 3,400 stuffed animals, Temple contacted Food For The Poor and the charity was happy to accept these toys on behalf of the children of Haiti.

“It’s amazing what young people can do when they really set their mind to it,” said Angel Aloma, Executive Director of Food For The Poor. “The need in Haiti is so great on so many levels, and something as simple as a stuffed toy can do wonders to lift the spirits of that nation’s youngest victims.”

Food For The Poor, the third-largest international relief and development organization in the nation, does much more than feed millions of hungry poor in 17 countries of the Caribbean and Latin America. This interdenominational Christian agency provides emergency relief assistance, clean water, medicines, educational materials, homes, support for orphans and the aged, skills training and micro-enterprise development assistance, with more than 96 percent of all donations going directly to programs that help the poor. For more information, please visit www.foodforthepoor.org.

Contact:
Wanda Wright
Public Relations
(954) 427-2222 x 6079
wandaw@foodforthepoor.com