Fairhope locals buy teddy bears for police to give kids in domestic violence situations
FAIRHOPE, Ala. (WKRG) — The teddy bears and stuffed animals that were dropped off at the Fairhope Police Department have a job to do, and that’s to help kids who are in bad situations.
Fairhope Police Department Lt. Shane Nolte said they see it often.
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“You could come across these situations, once or twice a week, several times a month,” Nolte said
Those situations can be domestic violence-related or car accidents, but when an officer hands a child a bear, it takes them away from the chaos.
“It means a lot to them,” Nolte said. “I mean, obviously, that’s something that takes the kid’s mind off of a very traumatic situation. They are now focused on the bear instead of what’s going on around them, and it gets them out of that for a little bit.”
The owner of Tamara’s Downtown in Fairhope, Tamara Wintzell, and her local Fairhope women’s group, the Fruit and Nut Ladies, help collect these stuffed animals.
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“Anytime we can help with the kids to make them feel secure because it’s a tough world out there,” Wintzell said.
More than 125 stuffed animals have been collected to hand out to kids. If you are interested in donating some stuffed animals, you can drop them off at the Fairhope Police Department.
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