Sometimes, it really is the smallest of things that make all the difference...

Recently, our customer Thera Ergenbright and her husband contacted Plush in a Rush with a request. They live in Western North Carolina, and in the wake of Hurricane Helene, hundreds of people and families were in dire need of supplies. Her husband's organization and their local church partnered with another church to distribute basic goods and to help repair a bridge that had collapsed, cutting off the community from everything.

While everyone was affected by the devastation of the storm, the children in the community were impacted on an even deeper level. Knowing this, the team of helpers wanted to provide something specifically for the children that would help comfort them after the trauma they had suffered. This is when Thera decided to call Plush in a Rush. We promptly donated plush toys to the organizations, and Thera proceeded to have custom t-shirts printed for them that simply said, "You are Loved." Thera's husband shared a heartwarming story of placing a stuffed animal in the hands of a little girl who had been separated from her parents amidst all the chaos. The look on her face said it all. "She's not going to remember all of the supplies our team gave her, but she will remember that someone cared enough to give her a stuffed animal that said, 'You are Loved,'" he remarked.

It's opportunities like this that remind us here at Plush in a Rush how impactful we can be in our communities. "Providing some kind of comfort is extremely helpful not only to the children, but to the parents as
well," said Thera.