Scout donates hundreds of stuffed animals to Minnesota police

ST. PAUL, Minn. — A Scout in Minnesota collected more than 1,000 stuffed animals for a project and donated them to the St. Paul Police Department, the Twin Cities Pioneer Press reported.

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Elliot Helmer, 17, of St. Paul, chose the project to meet the requirements of becoming an Eagle Scout, the highest level of Scouts BSA, the newspaper reported.

While he did not have a specific goal when he began collecting the plush toys on Feb. 16, he was pleased with results.

"The fact that it was over 1,000 is really awesome," Helmer told the Pioneer Press. "I hope it can provide comfort to children in traumatic situations and help break the ice when they are dealing with police officers."

Helmer proposed the idea to St. Paul police Sgt. Amy Rahif, of the department's community engagement unit, and she agreed, the newspaper reported. The stuffed animals are used to help police comfort children during traumatic situations and foster positive relations with the department, Rahif told the Pioneer Press.

The Scout began his drive at a local church and elementary school, and he managed to fill 60 giant trash bags full of toys, the newspaper reported. Sunday, Helmer enlisted the aid of three large vehicles to deliver the toys to the St. Paul Police Department, the newspaper reported.

Cox Media Group