Amazon donates over 1,000 teddy bears to Sacramento children escaping domestic violence
Rainbow teddy bears. Neon green teddy bears. Golden teddy bears with mini bow ties.
More than a thousand stuffed animals spilled Wednesday from garbage bags and boxes as donors unloaded them at the Sacramento Regional Family Justice Center. Each fluffy, soft creature, provided by Amazon employees to the center, represented a small token of comfort a child would receive and keep.
Four young brothers observed a plethora of entertainment surrounding them while arriving to the Sacramento Regional Family Justice Center — a nonprofit connecting domestic violence victims with an array of services. The children clutched teddy bears for dear life to soothe their nerves after escaping strenuous circumstances, said Juliet Kennedy, an operations manager at Amazon’s warehouse in West Sacramento, who recalled seeing the impact of the donation.
“This means giving hope to a child who’s been through a traumatic event,” Kennedy said.
Kennedy created a program in 2021 at Amazon in which employees and its contractors, such as drivers, collected teddy bears to donate to places across Northern California. This year, more than 1,000 teddy bears were given to the Sacramento Regional Family Justice Center out of the approximate 2,600 teddy bears gathered, Kennedy said. Amazon also donated a $35,000 check to the center.
“We were just so grateful and so humbled and so excited for everything,” said Cristin Fiorelli, the CEO of the Sacramento Regional Family Justice Center, who started in August.
The rest of the stuffed animals will be given to UC Davis Medical Center, Shriners Hospital for Children and other family justice centers in San Joaquin, Solano and Alameda counties, Kennedy said. She wants to grow their donation program, expanding its reach across Northern California and beyond.
The Sacramento Regional Family Justice Center, 3701 Power Inn Road, is a one-stop shop for victims of domestic violence, elder abuse, sexual abuse and human trafficking to connect to a variety of services.
Children who arrive at the center could experience lifelong trauma after witnessing violent assaults and murders in their family. But when handed a teddy bear, a warm smile spreads across their little faces, Kennedy said.
“And I just can’t tell you how that made me feel,” Kennedy said.