Toys to Iraq

Stuffed animals seem to multiply and replenish the kids room in our house. I seriously don't know where they all come from. The bottom line is they cannot stay. That's why stumbling upon this post today at Parent Hacks, I got excited about the opportunity for relocaion of my stuffed animal zoo and I thought I would help spread the word.

When Edmay Mayers, an amazing member of the U. S. Army Corps of Engineers, heard there were parents (like me) wondering what to do with their gently used stuffed animals and toys, she wrote in and suggested sending them to children in Iraq.

Now it does cost money to ship the toys to her APO address, making it more expensive than donating them to a local organization, but it's a great opportunity to discuss world issues with your children as you sort through toys. A commentor over at the Parent Hacks post suggested children could even write letters - "Here's my toy Stuffy, I hope you like him as much as I did." It's also nice to know the toys will be going straight into the hands of children who will love them instead of collecting dust on a thrift store shelf.

To find out where to send gently used (and new) stuffed animals and toys for Toys to Iraq look HERE.