Operation Teddy Bear
Operation Teddy Bear® is a literacy program that focuses on 5,600 of the most disadvantaged first-graders at elementary schools with a high percentage of children eligible for the Free and Reduced Meal Program as part of the Federal Title One program. The Los Angeles Unified School District reports that 74.3% of its enrolled students live at or below the poverty line and the Long Beach Unified School District reports 72.1%. Poverty causes many of these Title One students to arrive at school without adequate educational supplies, clothes and food to begin their day. These circumstances create special needs in the areas of education, literacy and self esteem.
Operation Teddy Bear® helps to address these issues by giving literacy backpacks to 5,600 children in such schools. The program now takes place at the beginning of the school year and is funded entirely by donations from individuals, corporations and foundations. Each brightly colored backpack includes items such as reading books, a toothbrush, math flash cards, play money, crayons, coloring books, learning clocks, rulers and, of course, a Teddy Bear. When backpacks are delivered to a classroom, volunteers also take the time to sit and read stories to the children.
To see some of the hundreds of people who make it all happen, please visit our OTB People page. To see just a few of the hundreds or thousands of thank you notes from children and teachers, please click here.
Donations of Time
Volunteers provided over 1,100 hours to make Operation Teddy Bear happen!
- Warehousing and setting up materials
- Packing backpacks
- Mailing support
- Material assembly and recycling
- Delivery of bags of backpacks to schools
- Reading to the children (heart-warming…even tear-jerking)
 The Joy of Operation Teddy Bear: |
 Gulf Elementary - Ms. Espiritu's Class |
Please sign up to help.
- Support an individual child’s bag for $55.00. Donate a bag today!
- Adopt an entire school of 20 to 500 students and develop a relationship between your group and your adopted school’s children and teachers.
- To sign up to volunteer or get more information about the program, please e-mail our Operation Teddy Bear Coordinator or call him at (310) 212-5009.
Operation Teddy Bear® is a registered trademark of the Volunteer Center, South Bay–Harbor–Long Beach.
