Medicine Hat Tigers forward Corson Hopwo watches stuffed animals soar over the boards during his team's Medicine Hat News Teddy Bear Toss game against the Saskatoon Blades at what is no Co-op Place on Saturday, Nov. 30, 2019. A special Teddy Bear Toss will be held in the Co-op Place parking lot from 2-4 p.m. Sunday. -- NEWS PHOTO RYAN MCCRACKEN
rmccracken@medicinehatnews.com@MHNMcCracken
There won’t be any bears flying onto the ice, but fans can still toss those teddies they’ve been saving for a good cause this weekend.
A special drive-thru teddy bear toss is lined up for Sunday afternoon from 2-4 p.m. in the parking lot at Co-op Place – formerly the Canalta Centre.
It may not come with the roar of a goal horn or the spectacle of a Medicine Hat Tigers game, but Salvation Army volunteer Kristina Hyde points out the need for stuffed animals, toys and winter gear is at a high due to the pandemic.
“We just thought, even without the Tigers game, this is something that’s a need for the community and we couldn’t really go without it,” said Hyde. “Without the Teddy Bear Toss there’s going to be kids without Christmas presents, there are going to be seniors who are going to be sad and then of course at the hospital, those kids look forward to getting those brand new stuffies.”
The annual Medicine Hat News Teddy Bear Toss brings in an average of more than 2,000 stuffed animals and pieces of winter gear each Christmas season.
“For a lot of people, it’s a tradition,” said Hyde. “A lot of people, after the Christmas season they’ll buy something when it’s on sale and keep it for the next year, or when they see something they’ll buy it and store it. It’s an annual tradition for a lot of people, so we wanted to keep that tradition alive.”
The Rattlers Athletic Soccer Club’s U15 boys team will be on scene volunteering their time to help keep the event running smoothly. Those looking to donate are encouraged to pull up and let the bears fly from the comfort of their vehicles.
“We’ll have a huge bin and people can just drop their donation in the bin, then we’ll have the soccer team sorting the donations for each organization,” said Hyde. “People are encouraged to wear masks even if they’re in their vehicle, or if their donation is big. Some people donate the life-sized teddy bears – which is amazing. People can get out, but we’re encouraging them, if they can fit it through their window, then that’s the safest for everybody.”
While there won’t be any Tiger players at the arena – since the team is not scheduled to report to Medicine Hat until after Christmas – Hyde says there’s a possibility that Tabby mascot Rroary could make a special appearance.
Hyde added any items donated at Sunday’s Teddy Bear Toss must be new in order to be accepted. Items will then be placed in isolation for at least one week before being distributed across the community.
“Everything has to be new, but if people do have used stuff they can drop it off at the Salvation Army,” she said. “The ones for the hospital, they’re just going to take them that day so they can do the process they need to do – just to be extra safe. Then all the rest will go to the Salvation Army, then when it’s safe to do so, they’ll go into the toy hampers and out to the senior homes.”
