CARMICHAEL, CA (MPG) - Veteran toy-doctor Nancy Fellers (87) has bequeathed her mission aiding children and police officers to a successor. Fellow Carmichaelite Donna Owens is now rallying gently-used soft toys to continue the decades-old campaign.

For Sacramento Sheriff’s officers, the ladies and their legions of fluffy teddies and puppies are important humanitarian allies. In crisis situations, cops are often challenged to win trust from traumatized kids. “Offering something cuddly softens our outreach,” explains Sheriff’s Toy Project Officer Robert Magee. “We can be at a domestic crime scene or at a fire, where a family might have lost everything. We see sad little faces light up when we bring out a toy. They’re soothed by having something soft to cuddle.”

With that in mind Nancy (whose daughter and son-in-law were law officers), began a Comfort Critter crusade 22 years ago. “Deputies used to pay for toys from their own pockets,” says the former school teacher and travel agent.  “I don’t see why they should. Teddies can be part of necessary police equipment.” Soft toys came her way via thrift shops and from Kiwanis Club member donations. Nancy laundered discarded duckies. She restuffed down-at-heel dinosaurs.  Then she bagged each individually and took the menage to the Sheriff’s Toy Project in Rancho Cordova. “The deputies were always glad to see me,” says Nancy. “I was delivering something that helped them with their work.”

When Nancy and her husband Bill relocated to Carmichael’s Atria El Camino Gardens last year, she sought a successor for the project. “It was getting harder for me to go out and find toys,” she explains. “Then COVID brought restrictions for senior homes. I didn’t want my project to end; I was delighted to find a fellow Kiwanian who wanted to carry it on.”

A grandma and great-grandma herself, Donna Owens took little persuading. “What Nancy had started was a perfect fit for me,” says the Retired Cal Transit engineer/technician. “Making children happy and helping the police seemed like a great goal.” Donna scours thrift stores and puts stuffed animals through a meticulous wash-and-drying process. “Before I bag them, I tie on a fresh bow and trim the fuzz from around their eyes,” she says.  “A pair of clear, shining eyes seems so friendly to a child. I see these once-loved toys on store shelves and I want to take them all home – they can offer so much more love, and assist the police in their work. I feel good that with very little effort and expense, I can do something so worthwhile.”

The Comfort Critters Project welcomes donations of gently-used soft toys. Contact Donna Owens at (530) 788 2085.