Delaware grandmother gives old police uniforms new life in the form of teddy bears

Giving back in the form of teddy bears. It's the mission of one Delaware grandmother to help her local police department.

Sewing is a skill Robin Broomall's mastered.

"Sometimes I really get on the roll and I'll just keep cutting out patterns," Broomall said while in a conference room at the Newark Police Department. That is where the 78-year-old brought her sewing machine.

"I have had this pattern for this bear probably 50 years," Broomall said, pointing to a teddy bear in progress.

The call to help from Newark police came a lot sooner than that and it was Lt. Greg D'Elia on the other end of the line.

"The concept of this really kind of started popping in my head about two, three years ago," D'Elia said.

That concept was a teddy bear made out of recycled police uniforms. D'Elia said as a dad himself, he knows his kids love stuffed animals. Once he saw Broomall making bears for children fleeing Ukraine, D'Elia reached out.

"So far, it's been about 30," Broomall said about how many teddy bears she's made so far.

Each bear is a little different, but still adorned with a heart nose, and patch on their tummy.

"As soon as Greg D'Elia mentioned this project, I thought it just, it's fit for me, because I'm a sewer, I'm a crafter, but it's also giving back to the community," Broomall said.

Each bear is put into an officer's patrol car, just in case it's needed by a child during a call. So far, D'Elia said they haven't had to give too many out.

"I'm actually happy about that because if we're giving these things out, that means some kids having a bad day," D'Elia said.

Still, more teddys are to come. Broomall said she has two old uniforms hanging in her closet soon to become bears.

"As long as they keep giving me shirts, and as long as I can keep sewing and I'll just keep doing it…" Broomall said. "I don't have any reason to stop!"