In the lobby of the Shands at UF cancer unit, a life-size teddy bear stares out at passers-by. The bear is one of thousands of stuffed animals distributed by the North Central Area of the American Cancer Society’s Bears for Cares program.
Victoria Pearson, a social worker at Shands, started Bears for Cares in 2007. Since then, volunteers like Margaret Shaw have collected stuffed animals and given them to adult cancer patients in 11 counties, Shaw said.
Bears for Cares began with just teddy bears, but the group didn’t want to reject other animals, so they began accepting all kinds, Shaw said.
About 25 volunteers meet on Thursdays to sort, wash, brush and tag them. They are then distributed to Marion, Alachua, Bradford, Union, Gilchrist, Columbia, Hamilton, Levy, Suwannee, Dixie and Lafayette counties.
Each stuffed animal comes with a card with information on services offered by the American Cancer Society, including transportation to and from the doctor’s office, support groups and help with prescription co-payments, Shaw said.
Each year, thousands of bears are donated to the organization by schools, local businesses, banks and individuals in the community. The stuffed animals can be new or gently used and are cleaned and packed into bags until they can be distributed around North Florida, Shaw said. Each week, more than 200 stuffed animals are sent to patients.
Shaw said it’s common to see grown men walking with the bears tucked under their arms or curled up in bed snuggling with them.
Gwen Carriere, director of the cancer program at North Florida Regional Medical Center, said the bears are a tangible source of comfort. Known as the “Teddy Bear Lady,” Carriere, who treats patients in the first year of diagnosis, has distributed more than 400 stuffed animals.
“Patients just love these animals,” Shaw said. “I never envisioned that this program would be so popular, and who doesn’t love teddy bears?”
