A donation from the Ames Target store to Mary Greeley Medical Center’s emergency medical technicians will make an emergency more bearable to small children.

Target donated about 150 teddy bears to comfort children in a crisis situation and help ease their fears when they are taken to the hospital in an ambulance.

The bears were picked up by the emergency medical technicians in an ambulance on Sunday at the Ames Target, 620 Lincoln Way. Patrons were invited to tour the ambulance.

“[The children] warm up to us a little better after we give them the bear,” said Clayton Gregg, a paramedic at Mary Greeley.

Gregg said the bears are handed out to children who are 10 years old and younger.

However, there are no requirements of who can and cannot receive a teddy bear, he said.

Stuffed animals often accompany paramedics in ambulances. Research has shown that stuffed animals have a comforting effect on children in emergency situations.

“In my experience,” Gregg said, “the kids really respond to the bears. Their eyes light up as we hand them the bear.”

The bear donation is a part of the Target Helping Hugs program. It’s sponsored in partnership with the National Association of Emergency Medical Technicians (NAEMT) and Hershey Foods.

Hershey made a donation to the program for every Hershey’s Kisses product sold at Target stores from Feb. 2-14.

This year, Target stores throughout the country will donate more than 100,000 teddy bears to local NAEMT affiliates that provide emergency medical services in communities across the country.

“We really appreciate having them. This is close to the third year we’ve picked them up,” Gregg said.

He said he thinks the donation of teddy bears will probably keep Mary Greeley medical technicians supplied for the year.

“Helping Hugs is a community program that we look forward to every year,” said Bill Zook, manager of the Target store in Ames. “We are pleased to provide these huggable bears to paramedics, comforting frightened children and making the paramedics’ jobs easier.”