Dad Launches Initiative Assist Children Impacted by Disasters (Unique)

When catastrophe strikes, the restoration course of will be each bodily and mentally demanding. It may be an particularly tough time for youths, who generally lose every part they’ve ever identified. Now, one content material creator is utilizing his platform to supply these children emotional help by a brand new initiative.

Anthony Finchum is greatest identified on-line as the person behind the Disastrous History podcast and social media pages. For years, the 31 yr previous, who lives in Nebraska, has used his platform to show his followers how one can put together for and survive disasters. 

Now, Anthony tells PEOPLE that he desires to make use of that very same platform to assist these impacted by these similar catastrophes. 

He and his spouse Kaitlin, 35, lately launched “Operation Stuffie Strong,” which goals to deliver youngsters consolation following a catastrophe by offering them with a particular stuffed animal.

“I feel that it is essential to do one thing like this to point out that, particularly children, you are not forgotten,” Anthony explains. “Individuals care, folks need to assist, folks need to provide you with consolation.”

Initially from Indiana, Anthony has lengthy been fascinated by pure disasters, having skilled his justifiable share as a baby. At 18, Anthony joined his native fireplace division, the place he helped examine his very first home fireplace throughout a blizzard.

Intrigued, Anthony finally went to varsity and took a lot of emergency administration lessons, finally receiving a Bachelor’s levels in fireplace arson and explosion investigation.

In his profession, Anthony has performed greater than 700 fireplace investigations, and assisted with responses to each hurricanes and tornados. He has additionally helped run a number of migrant shelters in Washington, D.C., all of which provided him an inside take a look at the assorted sides of human struggling.

Later in maturity, Anthony says he fell right into a nightly ritual of researching varied pure disasters on Wikipedia. He would share his findings together with his spouse, who then proposed he begin a podcast.

Anthony agreed, and “Disastrous Historical past” was launched. He then created a number of social media accounts underneath the identical identify, the place he now frequently shared detailed movies about each latest and historic disasters which have impacted the lives of 1000’s, if not hundreds of thousands, of individuals worldwide — from tornadoes and hurricanes to earthquakes, fires and extra.

Now, Anthony has amassed greater than 300,000 followers on TikTok, Instagram, YouTube and extra. With such a big following, he was keen to make use of his platform to “give again tangibly to catastrophe survivors.”

On Monday, Might 19, Anthony got here up with the concept for “Operation Stuffie Sturdy.” He tells PEOPLE he was driving dwelling after selecting up dinner from his household when the concept all of the sudden struck him.

“I used to be excited about, ‘How can I give again to folks and who can I do probably the most good for?’ And I used to be excited about [how] my son has a stuffed animal that he completely loves,” Anthony explains. “It is a stuffed animal rabbit. He named it Floppy, after Floppy from Bluey.”

“And I spotted that if we misplaced our dwelling and he misplaced Floppy, he can be completely devastated,” the content material creator provides.

That’s when Anthony concocted the concept for the iniative. The purpose, he says, is to supply children “some form of consolation after they’ve misplaced every part” throughout what could also be one of many darkest moments of their lives.

“Numerous these occasions, these children are anyplace from two to 10, and the one factor they’ve ever identified is faculty and residential. Or generally simply dwelling.”

Upon returning dwelling, Anthony ran the concept by his spouse Kaitlin, who enthusiastically provided to assist. She shortly whipped up an internet site and arrange an Amazon wishlist, in addition to different methods for folks to donate to the trigger.

Then, it was time to launch. Anthony posted his first video about the iniative on Wednesday, Might 21, and it wasn’t lengthy earlier than donations poured in. 

On the primary day alone, about 40 stuffed animals had been ordered on Amazon, and practically $400 had been donated. “I used to be not anticipating the response,” Anthony tells PEOPLE, including, “I do not know what I used to be anticipating.”

A lot of the preliminary donations include heartfelt notes from their donors, who recall the influence they felt after receiving a stuffed animal after experiencing a catastrophe themselves. Some donors nonetheless have their particular stuffed animals right this moment, and wished to go alongside the sort gesture to a different younger individual.

“After we had our twister again within the ’80s, my grandfather discovered certainly one of my stuffed animals within the rubble and he handed it to me,” one lady wrote, in response to Anthony. “And I nonetheless have it on my mantle.” 

Now, they’re searching for households to donate to. These looking for help can go to disastroushistory.com/stuffiestrong to appoint a baby for a stuffed animal.

In the meantime, those that are excited by donating can visit his website, the place they will discover the Amazon wishlist in addition to the Venmo and PayPal accounts.

Anthony says he and his spouse Kaitlin plan to personally package deal the entire stuffed animals to households in want, and write personalised notes to the recipients. In addition they have a crayon drawing of their son’s bunny Floppy, drawn by their son himself, that will likely be “included on the entire notes.”

By no means miss a narrative — join PEOPLE’s free daily newsletter to remain up-to-date on the perfect of what PEOPLE has to supply, from celeb information to driving human curiosity tales.

In the end, Anthony hopes that “Operation Stuffie Sturdy” can present children impacted by these disasters that there’s a gentle on the finish of the tunnel. “There’s all the time hope and there may be all the time good,” he says.

In the meantime, Anthony continues to publish academic content material about disasters of all types. By doing so, he believes he can present folks how one can be higher ready for a catastrophe, and train them that enduring such an occasion “is not the top of the world.” 

“Individuals can come again, folks get better, areas get better,” Anthony tells PEOPLE. “They could be totally different than they have been earlier than, however you’ll be able to transfer on, you’ll be able to dwell by it. There’s hope on the opposite facet.”