CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — Coastal Bend children in need will soon be given some extra comfort and support in the form of teddy bears.
On Wednesday, hundreds of stuffed bears from American Bank's annual holiday drive were collected to give to children in need across the state.
Every year, the bank collects bears to use as holiday decorations. Once the holiday season ends, they distribute the stuffed toys to organizations that help children that who have suffered through neglect and abuse.
The Purple Door in Corpus Christi is one of several groups that take in these bears.
"It's amazing for those kiddos and the survivors at the hospital to have something that's soft and cuddly that they can hold onto," Jennifer Jones, a representative with The Purple Door said.
These gifts of comfort are also given to children waiting to find their forever family.
"When we do our adoptions in Court 5, I always like to let the newly adopted kids go home with a teddy bear," Nueces County Judge Timothy McCoy said. "That always gives them something to remember."
American Bank has been hosting the Holiday Bear Drive for over two decades. Since then, they've collected and distributed more than 21,000 bears to groups across the state.
This year, they collected more than 900 bears.
The bears are also being distributed to Camp Aranzazu in Rockport, Child Advocates San Antonio (CASA), and Mainspring Schools in Austin.
