The Calendar Club in Steinbach has donated approximately 100 teddy bears to the Steinbach Fire Department.

Cindi Klassen-Krahn with the department says they will often hand teddy bears to children at the scene of a collision or fire.

"If there is a structure fire and they've lost everything, sometimes all it takes is a teddy bear to make a person feel better," says Klassen-Krahn.

Samantha Martens works at the store inside Clearspring Centre. She explains Calendar Club stores are known for donating teddy bears. According to Martens, many of the stores will make the donation to hospitals or daycares in Winnipeg.

"We just wanted to do something different and help the fire hall out," she says. "Because they do so much for us."

The bears retail for $12.99 each and Martens says they got quite a reaction from the fire department.

"They were amazed," she says. "They were so thankful and it was just so good to see."

Klassen-Krahn says the department will only accept new teddy bears. She adds they are grateful for the donation.

"We're happy that people are thinking of more than just themselves," she says. "Thinking of others and what they can do to ease the stress of an incident."

Klassen-Krahn says handing out a teddy bear gives a child something to focus on other than the noises of emergency vehicles. It also allows them to relax after being bombarded with questions by paramedics, doctors or even parents.