More About Us:
Our Mission
BEAR HUGS welcomes to the U.S. the unwanted and stimatized refugee children of any nationality by creating hand-made bears stitched with love and stuffed with compassion. Our simple-to-make bears bring the message of compassion and love for other children, regardless of their nationality, race, and religious beliefs.
What Makes Bear Hugs Different
Bear Hugs is more than just a group of volunteers sewing bears. Our two-pronged approach aims to benefit volunteers, in addition to recipients, by connecting volunteers with the stories and lives of those receiving the bears. At a bear hugs event, volunteers, if they so choose, can receive the skills needed to further get involved with our organization and to spread awareness of the plight and needs of refugees to those in each's own life.
How Are the Bears Distributed?
We work with refugee resettlement agencies across the U.S to distribute our bears to refugees who have recently arrived. As part of a refugee family's resettlement supplies or gifts, their children will receive a bear from Bear Hugs! We also give out our bears to unaccompanied child refugees.
We rely on loving adult and child volunteers and generous and compassionate donors to be able to create and distribute our bears. Each and every one of our bears is unique and handmade with love.
Our bears are suitable to be made by many ages and skill levels. Young children are welcome to help stuff the bears and help package them, and older children as well as adults and senior citizens can participate in sewing, stuffing, and packaging the bears. Any age and skill level is welcome to participate regardless of age or past experience!
Flexible Volunteer Hours
Many Ways to Volunteer
Communal Gatherings
Make a Big Difference in a Small Way
Learn How to Take Action Below
Who Can Volunteer?
How Do We Get Our Bears?