Stuffed Animal Centerpieces

In June, I wrote about creating centerpieces with canned goods and donating them after the party to help feed the hungry. Judy Yublosky, from A-BnC Parties and More, Inc., wrote in sharing pictures of the stuffed animal centerpieces she has done for charity-oriented bar and bat mitzvahs. What a great idea!

Green Bar/Bat Mitzvahs
I have done many Green Bar/Bat Mitzvahs in my 19 year career in making centerpieces. As you mentioned, many centerpieces involve food that is later given to a food pantry or shelter. Food baskets are even being used instead of flowers on the Bemah during the Bar/Bat Mitzvah service. Not only does the food basket last longer than the flowers, it can be donated and put to good use after the Bar/Bat Mitzvah.

Stuffed animals are another popular choice. I can recall one Bar Mitzvah where the Bar Mitzvah boy wanted animals in their natural habitat. I used actual trees and leaves and grass and, after much research from the Bar Mitzvah boy, we came up with what their natural habitat should be. We used stuffed animals which were donated after the Bar Mitzvah to a children’s shelter. The place cards were printed on recycled paper to save the trees. All guests were asked to bring in canned goods that were then donated to a food pantry.

Here are some pictures from other events I have done:

There was a stuffed animal on top of the dog house and dog supplies inside dog house. All were donated after the event.

This shows a stuffed teddy bear used as a centerpiece.

These sand toys were then donated to a children’s hospital after the event.

For my own daughter’s Bat Mitzvah I crocheted dresses for dolls. The dolls were donated to the children’s ward of a local hospital for the girls to enjoy. The tubes in the centerpiece were silver vases which were then filled with flowers and taken to a nursing home after the Bat Mitzvah. The picture below shows the centerpiece used on the place card table. The place cards were little dolls with the name of the guest(s) and the table they where they were sitting on a little piece of cardstock attached to the doll with a ribbon.

Going “Green” not only helps our environment by keeping items out of the landfills, but it also helps people that are in need of the items that are donated. It is definitely a “win win” situation.