Amidst the devastating wildfires ravaging Los Angeles County, two mothers have launched a heartwarming initiative to bring comfort to displaced children. The LA Lost Stuffy Project, started by Randi and Jenny Jaffe, aims to reunite children with their beloved stuffed toys, blankets, and other comfort items lost in the fires. The project provides emotional support to families grappling with the trauma of displacement and loss, offering a small ray of hope during a challenging time.
Wildfires continue to rage across Los Angeles County, displacing tens of thousands of families and forcing many into temporary housing. Amidst the devastation, two mothers from New Jersey and New York, respectively, have launched a grassroots project to reunite displaced children with their beloved stuffed toys and blankets. The idea for the LA Lost Stuffy Project came to Randi Jaffe, a child life specialist and mother of two, who understands the importance of comfort items for children.
She and her sister-in-law, Jenny Jaffe, a realtor and mother of two, wanted to find a way to help families impacted by the fires, even from afar. 'I've just been thinking about what we can do and how we can help these kids and these families, and immediately, I thought of comfort items -- loveys, stuffies, blankies,' Randi Jaffe said. 'We know that comfort items are key with kids -- young kids all the way up through young adults. When families are displaced or experiencing trauma, obviously there's no control at all. So, this is such a small way to give kids back their control.' For Emily Balliet, whose home burned down in the wildfires, the group's work has brought 'light' to her family during what she described as a 'dark time.' The LA Lost Stuffy Project donated a stuffed unicorn to Balliet's son to match one he had previously. 'We are so grateful for the LA Lost Stuffy Project. The joy on my son's face helped us feel a little bit of light during this dark time,' Emily Balliet told 'GMA' via email. The Jaffes work to find requested items and ship them to families in need. If a donor wants to shop for a comfort item themselves, they connect the donor with a family and share information with permission. 'The biggest need right now is to get the word to the LA families,' said Jenny Jaffe. 'We're waiting with money to be able to purchase more and send them out.' Randi Jaffe said they aim to reunite children of all ages with comfort items as close to their originals as possible. 'To be able to kind of return this personal, specific item that has been so brutally lost is such a powerful gift, and that's what we're so excited to be doing,' she said. She hopes to expand the project to replace lost Christmas and holiday presents once comfort items are replaced. 'The entire world is behind them and thinking of them and praying for them and offering support in small ways and big ways. And that's something that we really need to lean into right now,' Randi Jaffe said.
WILDFIRE LA PROJECT COMFORT ITEMS CHILDREN DISPLACEMENT SUPPORT COMMUNITY EMOTIONAL WELLBEING
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