The good stuff

Luis Pena

People came to Fashion Island this weekend to give those who were

hurt by the Southland wildfires something bearable to hug.

More than 360 bears were stuffed this weekend at Build-A-Bear

Workshop’s “Stuffed with Hugs” event, said Sylvia Alexander,

assistant store manager.

The bears, specially made for the “Stuffed with Hugs” event, will

be given to victims of the Southern California fires, Alexander said.

The bears will be passed out through relief centers in the area, she

said.

“A lot of people have called, and they know that we are a comfort

store, so they call, and they know that we’re here,” Alexander said.

Customers could stuff the bears for free, but many decided to

decorate the bears by purchasing costumes for them, Alexander said.

The store held a similar event for 9/11 victims.

Cheryl Ferramola of Rossmoor said she came to the event with her

9-year-old daughter, Kirsten, because she wanted to donate a bear to

the children who’d lost their homes and everything in them. She hoped

the bear she made would bring a smile to someone’s face.

“I came to stuff the bear for the people who were in the fire

because they lost their homes and they couldn’t take any of their

animals or anything,” Kirsten said.

Marianne Balding of Irvine came down because she thought that it

would be a good experience for her children to do something for

someone else.

“Our son didn’t want to do it at first, but we’re like, ‘How would

you like it if all of your toys and cloths burned up and you had

nothing? Wouldn’t you appreciate it if somebody came down and made

something special for you?’ And he understood that,” Balding said.

The fires made her reflect on how much she really had and she

wanted her kids to learn that they should sometimes do things for

others, Balding said.

Carol Jacobs of Anaheim said she came because she was sure that

there were many children who had lost their stuffed toys. She hoped

that the new stuffed bear will bring them some comfort.

“Hopefully, they’ll have a happier Christmas with a little friend

to play with,” said Karen Hendrickson of Tustin.

Sally Knoth of Huntington Beach said she came to the event because

she thought that it was a worthwhile thing to do for the families

that had lost everything in the fires and because she knew that her

children would feel devastated if they lost all of their things.

Robert Weinberg of Irvine came with his 2-year-old daughter, Tali,

because he felt that it was important to do so.

“We here in the coastal community could only smell the

devastation, but with imagination and a little compassion, we can

provide some concrete comfort for those who lost everything,”

Weinberg said.

* LUIS PENA is the news assistant and may be reached at (949)

574-4298 or by e-mail at luis.pena@latimes.com.