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Colorado girl collects hundreds of 'stuffies' for Marshall Fire victims

libby latham.png
Posted at 5:10 PM, Jan 14, 2022
and last updated 2022-01-15 01:21:25-05

LOUISVILLE, Colo. — In the wake of the Marshall Fire, a 9-year-old girl is making sure her peers still have a best friend to snuggle with at night.

Libby Latham, along with her parents, has been collecting stuffed animals all week for children who lost theirs, and families will be able to come pick them up tomorrow in Louisville.

"Losing a 'stuffie' would be heartbreaking for me, and I just want everybody to have their own 'stuffie' to call their own," said Libby, while giving Denver7 a tour of the hundreds of collected toys.

The drive started on Monday with a few Facebook messages, and has snowballed into hundreds of "stuffies" being donated - including more than $4,000 getting raised via Venmo (her mother's account is @Mackenzie-Latham, with the last four digits being: 8436). The Latham family has also partnered with Grandrabbit's Toy Shoppe in Boulder to purchase more at a discounted price.

Local girl collects "stuffies" for Marshall Fire victims
Local girl collects "stuffies" for Marshall Fire victims

The last day of donations was Friday, but families can come retrieve their new furry friends at the Marhsall Fire Free Store tomorrow, which is located at 375 McCaslin Blvd. in Louisville. Pickup hours will run from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

In addition to the families who visit the store, Libby says she also plans to donate furry pals to her school and her former preschool. Above all, she is just grateful that her community rallied behind this drive, and understood the importance of a stuffed animal for children.

"'Stuffies' are basically my world... and I just want to thank everyone that donated," Libby said.