BEARing Gifts For Children This Holiday

Items such as clothes, pajamas, socks, shoes, formula, diapers, and much more are ready to be handed out on the Northwest side of Houston. These items serve as a beacon of hope for Child Protective Services caregivers and children. This is where the non-profit known as BEAR, or Be A Resource for CPS Kids, is located. BEAR provides hope and help for kids under the care of CPS through a handful of programs. BEARing Gifts is one of them. Gulf Coast Regional Blood Center is excited to be partnering with BEAR this year. And we hope you can help too!   

“We are excited to work with Gulf Coast Regional Blood Center this year,” said Merri Hahn, Outreach and Heart Gallery Manager at BEAR. “This will allow us to support children with holiday toys, children who might not experience toys during the holiday season.”   

BEARing gifts serves over 19,000 children every year. These are children who may have been abused or neglected and never felt the excitement and joy during the holiday season.  

“A lot of kids will skip school the week after Christmas because they don’t want to answer that sad question, what did you get for Christmas?” said Merri. “Providing a toy to a child in need allows them and encourages them to go back to school and be able to answer that question with a smile on their face.”   

You can help children have a Christmas present this year. The BEAR containers will be available at all Gulf Coast Regional Blood Center locations. Stop by, donate blood to help save lives, and drop a toy off in the bin. Please bring new toys for children aged 0-17 years old.   

If you can't bring a toy, don't worry! You can still help by accessing the Amazon Wishlist set with the most needed items or by donating money to BEAR!