The North Island Hospital Comox Valley campus is in need of stuffed animal toys for its younger patients.
Sometimes all it takes is getting the information to the right person.
K’ómoks First Nation Elder Ramona Johnson is the right person.
Johnson, a leader in not only the KFN community, but the entire Comox Valley, immediately went to work, collecting new stuffies for the kids.
Her goal is to collect 100 new stuffies for the local hospital.
“The Comox Valley Healthcare Foundation put out a poster asking for stuffed animals, so I figured I could do my part,” she said. “The stuffies need to be new, for hygiene reasons for the little ones who will be receiving them. The stuffies are used to calm the children during their hospital stay, and they get to keep them and take them home when they leave. Whether they are coming to emergency, or for a stay in the hospital, they will get a stuffy.”
She has teamed up with the Buddery House as a drop-off point.
“I had to find a business that was busy enough and had the space for a donation box, so I went to the Buddery,” said Johnson.
“The Buddery said there’s no deadline - they will just keep the donation box there for as long as it takes.”
Buddery House manager Jon Preece was all too happy to help out.
“We love to give back to the community - they’ve supported us so much, it’s great to help out,” he said.
“Who doesn’t want to help kids?” quipped Johnson.
The Buddery House is located at 3230 Comox Rd. The donation box is just inside the front door.