SHELTON, WA –  The Yesteryear Car Club of Shelton completed its most successful teddy bear drive to date for Mason General Hospital & Family of Clinics and delivered stuffed animals to the hospital on Aug. 21. Community members have been collecting new stuffed animals and dropping them off at Les Schwab Tire Center in Shelton for the past two months. This year’s donation to the hospital totaled 451 stuffed animals, including more than 40 that were donated on the day of and $473 in cash that car club members used to purchase an additional 158 bears.

 “I still can’t get over it,” said Yesteryear Car Club member Gene Bush, chair of the teddy bear drive committee. “Shelton has a strong sense of community, even if it doesn’t seem that way, and it’s always there. There is no better cause than helping children, especially in their time of need. It helps the children, it helps the parents stay calm in a tough situation. It’s win-win-win.”

At Mason General Hospital & Family of Clinics, the teddy bears are used to comfort children in the Emergency Department, siblings of children born in the Birth Center and children who come see their doctors at clinics such as MGH Oakland Bay Pediatrics and MGH Olympic Physicians.

Mason General Hospital Senior Director of Diagnostics and Therapeutics Nicole Eddins said she keeps several stuffed animals in her office and brings them out whenever she hears a child cry in the hospital.

“We distribute them everywhere,” she said. “They are a wonderful gift to the kids and they really help to brighten their day and make them smile through a tough time. We are very grateful.”

Yesteryear Car Club is dedicated to giving back to the community, in addition to its goal of keeping alive the history and preservation of vintage automobiles. The car club has been donating stuffed animals to Mason General Hospital for 17 years, and in 2015, the club opened up the teddy bear drive to the community in the hopes of increasing donations. With the community’s involvement, the club has typically donated around 300 bears each year.

MGH&FC is certified by Det Norske Veritas (DNV) and is a licensed and accredited acute care hospital with a level four emergency trauma designation. There are more than 100 physicians on staff in 19 specialties. MGH&FC now offers 3D Mammography Services and Virtual Care 24/7.  For more information on 3D mammograms, Virtual Care or to find a health care provider, visit www.MasonGeneral.com.