Bay Federal Credit Union employees donated dozens of stuffed animals to Court Appointed Special Advocates of Santa Cruz County during the month of February. Bay Federal team members ran the stuffed animal drive, which is part of the Credit Union’s robust community support program.
The stuffed animals go to children who have been removed from their homes because of severe abuse or neglect. CASA, which is a non-profit that trains volunteer advocates to assist children in the foster system, works with the Sheriff’s Department to provide the stuffed toys for these children when they go to court.
“As soon as the stuffed animals were delivered to CASA, they were packed right up again and sent to a sheriff waiting at the courthouse so that they could be put to immediate use,” said Carrie Birkhofer, President and CEO of Bay Federal. “Helping to fill a need like this is what our philosophy of people helping people is all about.”
Bay Federal first partnered with CASA in 2007, providing thousands of stuffed animals over the years. For more information and more ways to help CASA, please visit casaofsantacruz.org.
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Bay Federal is a full-service, not-for-profit financial institution that serves more than 65,000 members and 1,200 local businesses throughout Santa Cruz, San Benito, and Monterey counties. Since 2002, 100% of all employees have given their own money and volunteered for numerous local schools, nonprofit organizations, and community events.