Teddy Bears with Heart attempts to beat world record

Thousands of bears made their way to Seaside, Sunday.

People from all over the central coast came to City Hall to donate teddy bears.

Founder of Teddy Bears with Heart, the group that organized the event alongside Seaside Fire and Police, Susan Hanson, said the goal of the day was to beat a world record.

“We’re trying to reach 10,000 in eight hours,” said Hanson.

Hanson started the non-profit organization ten years ago.

Their mission is to donate stuffed animals to hospitals, first responders, and official agencies across seven central coast counties.

The event brought Sunshine Nelson down from Santa Cruz County. She said she wanted to get involved.

“They’re collecting so many bears. look at all the kids it’s gonna help. even if they don’t break the record it’s a wonderful, wonderful thing,” said Nelson.

The bears donated Sunday will be delivered to their homes by the end of next week.

“Just a little, tiny measure of comfort for them. a teddy bear or a stuffed animal could make a huge amount of difference,” said Nelson.

The group said the event is the largest that they have hosted and hope to many more like it.