Tammy Williams, right, and her daughter, Stephanie Escaval, delivered toys for children in the Emergency Room to Sandy Piedra, director of Emergency Services.

Tammy Williams of Vacaville was a patient in the NorthBay VacaValley Hospital Emergency Department when she overheard a conversation between two nurses.They were dealing with a young patient, and had just run out of stuffed animals.

Tammy knew how much comfort a stuffed animal could bring to a child—scared and in a strange environment. Her own son spent a lot of time in hospitals when he was young, and there was always a comforting stuffed animal to calm him down.

So after receiving excellent care, she said she was inspired to contribute toward NorthBay Healthcare’s mission of providing compassionate care by making a donation—a regular donation—of stuffed animals.

She put out a few calls, including to Girl Scout Troops and the Moms of Dixon organization, and everyone started collecting.

They soon had enough for the first donation, which she delivered to VacaValley Hospital’s Emergency Room this past spring. She’s calling the project “Living Cuddles for Kids.”

“We’re going to keep this up, so we can keep the Emergency Departments stocked,” said Tammy. “I’d like to try and deliver bags of stuffed animals every two weeks.”

The animals are for the children to keep. “It is so comforting for children to have a toy with them during medical procedures,” said a grateful Sandy Piedra, director of Emergency Services.

To donate or help with the project, call Tammy at (707) 685-5428 or visit Loving Cuddles for Kids on Facebook.