For the “Mom Heroes” series, What to Expect shares stories of parents who have gone to great lengths to help others.

By Jennifer Jaffe, as told to Jesse King

I live on the East Coast, but watching the wildfires in Los Angeles displace thousands of people has been absolutely devastating. One moment that really hit a nerve was seeing an Instagram post from a mom about how her family had not just lost their home in Pacific Palisades, but also everything in their child’s playroom, including favorite blankets and stuffed animals. Honestly, it brought me to tears.

My two kids couldn’t sleep without their loveys when they were little. My oldest daughter, now 17, brought my childhood lovey with them to college to help them sleep. These items have so much history and emotion woven into them.

That mom whose post I’d seen also included a picture of her son’s worn stuffed animal, asking if anyone could find her a replacement — and someone did! My sister-in-law and I chatted about it, saying, “We wish I could do something like that!” And we figured, why not? This felt like a simple, small way we could bring a little comfort back to these families. 

Never underestimate what a group of determined moms can do!

So about a week ago, my sister-in-law, Randi Jaffe, and I started the L.A. Lost Stuffy Project. Since then, we’ve reunited more than 40 kids with their lost pals, free of cost — and created an amazing community of moms in the process.

Thousands of moms have joined in to help

When we first launched the LA Lost Stuffy Project on Instagram, families would send us a direct message through the app with their requests or offers to help, but that quickly became complicated. Within a few days, we had more than 6,500 followers and $16,000 in donations. That also meant we now had many families messaging us at once, and lots of back-and-forth to keep up with. Now, we use a Google Form where families can include pictures of their stuffy, brand names, contact information and a shipping address all in one place. 

Randi and I both work and care for our own children during the day, so we will usually review requests either first thing in the morning or after work in the evenings. Most of the stuffies are cheap and easy to find. If a mom sends me the brand of her child’s lovey, we can usually find it and buy it within a few minutes on Amazon or with a reverse image search on Google. 

We always ask families beforehand if there’s a specific color they want, or if they’re okay with us buying used instead of new if that’s all we can find. We also pay for expedited shipping whenever possible, so it can get there faster. That’s when the donations come in handy. 

Demonstrating your care for another person — making them feel seen and loved — can be really, really simple.

If we can’t find a stuffy, we’ll post a picture of it on our Instagram account. You’d be surprised how quickly our followers can track things down! 

Recently, a mom requested a lovey she bought from Zara Home back in 2017. It’s a cute pillow with a hippo embroidered on it, and her daughter had been crying ever since they evacuated, worried that her hippo was “lonely.” I couldn’t find a replacement anywhere (as it was no longer available at Zara), so I posted a picture on our Instagram.

One of our followers found it on a Spanish website that only ships to the United Kingdom, Italy and Spain. I don’t speak Spanish, so I had trouble even navigating the website, but she helped with that, too. Not only that, but she had family in Italy — the follower actually bought the pillow herself, had it delivered to her family in Italy, and then they mailed it to our mom in need. Never underestimate what a group of determined moms can do!

Even the little things — like replacing a child’s lovey — can make a difference

If there’s one thing I’ve learned from this experience, it’s that demonstrating your care for another person — making them feel seen and loved — can be really, really simple. While it might seem like a small thing to us, the smiles on these kids’ faces when they reunite with their loveys proves otherwise. 

Of course, they often know it’s not their exact lovey, but just having that token of familiarity can give them a better sense of control during a turbulent time. One of our moms recently joked that Randi and I should run for president, as her child’s new stuffy had raised their spirits that much. For them, their loveys are part of the family. 

It’s been especially touching to see how many people are moved to help. We’ve gotten DMs from artists offering to paint a picture of a child’s lovey if we’re unable to find a replacement. People have offered to drive hours to buy a rare stuffy at a store and mail it. A mom even messaged us offering to donate her adult daughter’s former lovey in order to give it a new home. 

Ultimately, we’d like to grow the project to help even more kids and teens in L.A. and perhaps help them regain lost holiday gifts as well. If you or someone you know has been impacted, or if you’re interested in being a toy sleuth, you can find us @la_lost_stuffy_project on Instagram.

I think a lot of us remember our own loveys, or our children’s loveys, and can understand the heartbreak of seeing them damaged or lost. And in the wake of something as devastating as a wildfire — as formidable as Mother Nature — it feels good to know you can do something to help.