Throughout the pandemic, several residents found a way to occupy their time or make extra cash. Leeannah Litchenberg in Callen did just that and is making a positive impact on even more in the Coastal Bend.
"When a loved one passes away, you know you have a lot of clothing leftover obviously," said Litchenberg, a seamstress.
Shirts, jackets, and blankets were used as material for the custom bears.
"It's turned into a stuffed animal and it's called a memory bear. This is just like the shape of it this is how big it is. It has little ears and eventually it'll have eyes and a patch on its belly," said Litchenberg as she described the bear.
The memory bears are made to remember a loved one who passed away by using their remaining clothes.
"It's hard for a lot of people to hand something over, you know, something that's special to them, handing it over to a stranger is not really something that they want to even think about," said Litchenberg.
After her recent social media post, Litchenberg received almost 30 orders for memory bears.
"A little boy had his father pass away and his mom wanted me to make a small one for him, you know, he was like a toddler," said Litchenberg. "It's extremely rewarding to be a part of such a huge milestone for some people, especially after a period of time where everyone has either known someone that's passed or, you know, lost someone who was very very close to them."
You can contact Litchenberg via online or by phone: 361-781-5535