Frequently Asked Questions
Please reach us at barrettbearministry@gmail.com if you cannot find an answer to your question.
Barrett’s Bears is a nonprofit organization dedicated to comforting families grieving the loss of a baby due to still, miscarriage, and early infant loss.
We are a 501(3)c tax exempt organization as described in Section 501(3)c of the IRC, EIN #93-2698721.
Barrett's Bears relies 100% on donations from the public in order to operate & supply families a bear with a personalized shirt with baby's name on it.
See our main website page for more details.
There are several ways you can support or donate to BBM:
- You can donate to Barrett’s Bears by clicking on the 'Donate' button on the homepage of our website
- Donate through our platform by visiting www.givebutter.com/Barrettsbears.
- Through our Facebook page by clicking "donate".
- You can start a Facebook Fundraiser! This is the perfect option if you are not able to give monetarily. A Birthday Fundraiser is a perfect example, but you can can create a fundraiser at anytime or any day!
- If you would would like to mail a check, please email me at barrettbearministry@gmail.com.
Barrett’s Bears is a Non Profit run 100% on donations to operate and buy our supplies. We are a small Ministry, which my husband and I run out of our home. We wish we could donate unlimited bears to everyone but we need to make sure we are able to meet the needs of all incoming Bear requests.
Although we would love to be able to send unlimited bears to everyone, unfortunately, we are only able to provide ONE donated bear per family to the baby's parent(s).
Sending multiple bears to the same family takes away our ability to meet the needs of all incoming requests. We want to make sure every family is able to receive their bear. It breaks our hearts there is such a need for so many bears, but brings us joy that the Lord is willing to use this ministry and Barrett’s life to comfort so many.
*** "What if I have had more than one loss?" see question below.***
*NOTE: IF YOU ARE REQUESTING for a a family that has never received a bear, but have put in a request in the past for yourself or different family-- you are allowed to put in more than one request in this scenario--as long as it is not a family who has already received a bear.
Since we are only able to donate and ship one bear for families at this time, we have implemented a way to purchase shirts (up to 3 total) to place on your own bear. (You will need to purchase your own 16” bear for the shirt you order).
This will allow requesters to buy an additional shirt if needed.
1) When filling out BEAR REQUEST FORM, when prompted, it Will give you the option to purchase additional shirts for this when you are filling the application for a bear.
2) If you have already recieved a bear and would later like to order SHIRT(S) ONLY, there is a separate form for just a shirt.
You can find this order form and more info about this at the link Bear Shirt, or on the website's homepage in the menu find "Order Shirt for a Bear".
Purchase of additional teddy bear shirts is to be a funding tool for the ministry. This will allow requesters to buy an additional shirt if needed to put on a 16" bear of their choice provided by them.
TIP: We love Build-A Bear Workshop's 16 inch "Happy Hugs" teddy, but any brand bear that is around 16 inches will do!
If you are unable to do this, I suggest requesting one bear for all babies on the original bear request form.
If being shipped in the US, to request a bear there is a $8 application fee.
If being shipped outside of the US, there is a $15 USD fee. See question below for more info about this.
We do greatly appreciate donations of any amount to help us continue our mission of supplying the many families who are longing for comfort from their bear.
Prices are always changing, but the ministry pays approximately $35 dollars for the cost of supplies alone for one bear. (This does not include operations, softwares, machines, printers, etc)
Barrett’s Bears is a Non Profit run 100% on donations to operate and buy all our supplies.
Yes. We will ship outside of the US (very few countries exuded due to laws). Although, due to high international shipping rates, there is a required $15.00 fee to assist with a portion of the shipping.
Shipping costs outside of the US currently range anywhere from $26-50 USD. We often end up paying more in postage costs than the ministry pays for the bear itself. This fee gives us the ability to continue serving families outside of the US, which we are honored & privileged to be able to!
We know accidents can happen, and we understand wanting to replace your bear. Unfortunately, we will not be able to donate another bear, however, you may purchase a t-shirt for a bear through our website. You can use this shirt to place on your own 16 inch bear that you purchase. Shirt order form here.
TIP: We love Build-A Bear Workshop's 16 inch "Happy Hugs" teddy, but any brand bear that is around 16 inches will do!
*In order to operate efficiently and fairly to each family, we have to stick to this policy to protect our funds, our inventory & supplies, and our mission to comfort all families.
Yes, absolutely! You can purchase up to 3 shirts total. You can go to our Shirt Order Form.
We understand wanting brothers and sisters to have a bear. We have gotten our kiddos one too! But, we can only provide one bear to the parent(s) of the baby in Heaven due to funding and supplies. If you would like to have a bear for a sibling or other family member, such as a grandparent, you can order up to 3 additional teddy bear shirts which can be put on any 16 inch bear or stuffed animal. Our Shirt Order Form is here.
This policy also helps to avoid duplicates or requests made understand false pretenses.
The bears we use are 16 inches in size. This means you can use any 16 inch stuffed animal if you choose the option of ordering a shirt for you bear.
Once your request form is submitted, you should receive an email confirmation that your form was submitted with a summary of your responses. This will be sent to the email that you provided in the form.
If you do not receive this email, you can then reach out to see if I received it at barrettbearministry.com.
Bear requests can take anywhere from 4 weeks to 8 weeks (give or take) depending on multiple factors. Demand of requests at any given time, supplies that are available, distance of shipping, and funds available. This time frame could change depending on demands.
*Which is why donations are so critical to our cause*
*As noted above, we are a very small ministry run out of our home. My husband and I are both full-time health care workers. We have 3 small children who require & deserve our love, time and support, have school and extracurricular activities, etc. There is also the many other demands of life in general. Our family is our first priority, therefore we have to try our best to manage making bears in our free time.
We ask for patience & grace while we are trying to balance it all and continue to work towards making this process as efficient as we can in an ever changing & growing ministry the Lord has so graciously entrusted our family with.
Once the shipping label has been created, you will receive an email with tracking information. The tracking info is sent to the email that you provided in the form. It is your responsibility to follow your bear’s journey home to you.
Because we are so small, there is currently one person (thats me!) responding to the hundreds of messages we receive through email, facebook, etc. We will get to you as soon as we can. Please be patient and understand we are also juggling family and work life, on top of managing the ministry and all it entails.
Now, due to the amount of messages in questions, there is a chance that a message could get overlooked. If you have checked all the FAQs without finding an answer, and you have not heard from me within a week, I would certainly try reaching out again. If this ever does happen--I apologize in advance.
There are several operating costs for the ministry, but for just the Bears themselves, costs include:
Bear-related costs:
the actual bears
shirts for the bears
design/heat press/and ink supplies
stuffing for bears
tags, ribbon, cards, envelopes....
Shipping-related costs:
Boxes, labels, tape, postage...
At this time, we are only able to process 100 requests per month. Because of this, there are times (usually every month) we will have to temporarily stop accepting requests. When this happens, the form will open again after we are able to process the current requests. There should be a "closed form" message with more details when you go to the request form.
Why do we only take that many a month? You guessed it--haha-->We are a small ministry that my husband and I run out of our home. We have a few close family and friends who help volunteer their time when able. We need to be responsible with the funds, and this also gives us time to catch up with current requests.
At this time, we are only able to process 100 requests per month.
To read about temporary Request Form closures please see previous question & answer.
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