About Us

The Blessing Bears Ministry started in April 2024, when 15-year-old Noah had a desire to spread some joy to the residents of a local assisted living facility. His idea was to create and personally deliver a plush animal for each of the 15 people living there. We gathered together a group of six crafty friends who wanted to help, and the first batch of Blessing Bears was born.

As we prepared to deliver them, we kept hearing about folks in our community who could use a bit of encouragement. One of our bear makers asked if we could gift one to her father, who had fallen and injured his head. Another knew someone dealing with brain cancer, and we also heard about a young girl who was hospitalized with a serious infection. Slowly but surely, our list grew, and we found ourselves making more bears. Our original goal of 15 turned into 20, then 30, and we started doing porch drops as well as shipping bears across the country. We’ve gotten to know our local post office workers very well! As of June 2024, we have given away more than 840 bears and they’ve been sent to 20 different states.

Our core group of bear makers consists of five friends from Rock and Refuge Church, but we also have other volunteers who jump in whenever they’re able and help us in a variety of ways. From purchasing supplies to cutting fleece bear bodies and felt accessories, stitching, stuffing, and tagging, each of our volunteers makes an important contribution. We are also incredibly grateful for generous corporate partners who have stepped in to support our ministry by donating much-needed supplies.

Our volunteers represent a wide range of ages, jobs, and interests, but we all share the joy that comes from using our creativity to encourage others. We truly hope that as we create each bear, we are “sewing” seeds of encouragement, hope, and God’s love for the person who will receive it.

Special thanks to all of our “bear angels”: Noah, Amy, Sherl, Beth, Lisa, Cheryl, Davona, Dian, Jess, Rose, Isaac, Cam, Becca, Theresa, Dana, and Pam.