The Elgin Community College Black Student Achievers ran a stuffed animal drive through Friday, March 24, on campus to donate to children in need as part of Gleaning for the World.

Gleaning for the world is an organization that helps struggling communities and families.

Vice President of Black Student Achievers, Anita Waye, came up with the idea to host a stuffed animal drive.

“We wanted to give back to the community this semester and we came up with the book drive which is coming up in April and then we came up with the stuffed animal drive,” said Waye. “I came up with it because I saw it online and I realized that I liked the idea of a stuffed animal drive and I went on their website and they donate stuffed animals to kids in poverty and in disaster stricken countries.”

Waye also said that these stuffed animals act as companions to children in need who may not have someone to comfort them.

“Often times their parents don’t have physical love for them because they’re too busy trying to find food, shelter, make money just so they can survive,” Waye said. “And so the stuffed animal keeps them company and they have like a friend to hug them when they’re scared, or sad, or going to bed or something.”

BSA was able to collect several large bags and boxes filled with stuffed animals brought to campus by students, staff, and community members.

“We are trying to get funding to ship them because the organization does not fund shipping so we’re trying to get money to ship it,” Waye said.

This is the first time that BSA has decided to host a stuffed animal drive but they have hosted other drives in an effort to give back to the community.

“I won’t be here next semester or in the future but I hope they do go through with it and do it [again] because I wasn’t expecting this much. I was just expecting like a box,” Waye said.  “This is like actually overwhelming in a very good way so I’m really excited about the coverage we’ve been getting on Instagram, facebook, ECC has been supporting us.”

BSA will be hosting a book drive at ECC called Get Lit starting on April 3 and ending in early May.