Can you recall the stuffed animal that played with you in happy times and comforted your sorrows during your childhood? These soft companions often became our first friends. Yet, as we grew up, many were left behind. This inspired Charlotte Liebling to found Loved Before and give these cherished toys a new opportunity to spread joy.
The story begins while Liebling was volunteering at a charity secondhand store in London. There, she discovered numerous boxes filled with donated stuffed animals. As a lover of stuffed toys, she could see their emotional value, but she was also distressed by a grim reality: most were destined for garbage dumps. In 2019, motivated to make a difference, Liebling established Loved Before—what she calls a “stuffed animal adoption agency.”
Loved Before starts by collecting donated plushies. Original owners are encouraged to share the toys’ stories, including their names, likes, and adventures. Volunteers then thoroughly clean and restore these toys before they are photographed and listed online with detailed profiles for “adoption.” This process allows potential new families to acknowledge each toy’s unique legacy and sentimental value.
Photo: AMC/ 照片：空中美語提供
Loved Before has seen remarkable success, rehoming over 60,000 plush toys in the past five years and donating 50 percent of the profits to charities. The organization also advocates for sustainable development by reducing waste and promoting a circular economy. Beyond concrete contributions, an intangible flow of love continues. One touching story involves an 80-year-old woman. She donated her teddy bear in her final days and hoped that it would find new love after her departure, allowing her legacy of love to carry on.
Through Loved Before, Liebling is inspiring people to view used items differently. By treating each toy as a treasure filled with life and love rather than an object, she demonstrates that their value doesn’t diminish over time. In fact, it’s enriched by ongoing love and interaction.
你還記得童年時陪伴你歡笑、撫慰你悲傷的絨毛玩具嗎？這些柔軟的夥伴往往成為我們的第一個朋友。然而，隨著我們長大，許多玩具卻被遺忘了。這啟發了夏綠蒂．利布林創立 Loved Before，為這些珍貴的玩具提供了一個新的機會去傳播快樂。
故事始於利布林在倫敦一家慈善二手店當志工時。在那裡，她發現了許多裝滿捐贈的絨毛玩具的箱子。身為絨毛玩具的愛好者，她能感受到它們的情感價值，但她也對嚴峻的現實感到痛心：大多數玩具注定要被扔進垃圾場。西元 2019 年，出於改變現況的動機，利布林成立了 Loved Before ──她稱之為「絨毛動物領養機構」。
Loved Before 從收集捐贈的絨毛玩具開始。原主人被鼓勵分享玩具的故事，包括它們的名字、喜好和冒險經歷。志工們接著會徹底清潔並修復這些玩具，然後將它們拍照並在網上列出詳細的個人檔案供人「領養」。這個過程讓潛在的新家庭能夠認識到每個玩具的獨特遺產和情感價值。
Loved Before 取得了顯著的成功，在過去五年裡為超過 60,000 多個絨毛玩具找到了新家，並將 50% 的利潤捐贈給慈善機構。該組織還倡導透過減少浪費和促進循環經濟來實現永續發展。除了具體的貢獻之外，一股無形的愛也持續流動。其中一個感人的故事涉及一位 80 歲的女士。她在生命最後的日子裡捐贈了她的泰迪熊，希望在她離世後它能找到新的愛，讓她的愛的遺產傳承下去。
透過 Loved Before，利布林激勵人們以不同的方式看待使用過的物品。透過將每個玩具視為充滿生命和愛的寶藏，而不僅僅是一個物品，她證明了它們的價值不會隨著時間的推移而減少。事實上，持續的愛和互動會使它們的價值越發豐富。
MORE INFORMATION
destined adj. 命中注定的
plushie n. 絨毛玩具
rehome v. 為（寵物）找個新家
plush adj. 絨毛的
advocate v. 提倡；擁護
intangible adj. 無形的；無實體的
enrich vt. 使豐富
KEY VOCABULARY
1. grim adj.
嚴峻的；令人沮喪的
The economic forecast for next year appears quite grim.
明年的經濟預測看起來相當嚴峻。
2. motivate vt.
激勵；產生動機；激發
Most employers believe one of the best ways to motivate employees is by paying generous bonuses.
大多數雇主認為激勵員工的最佳方法之一是支付豐厚的獎金。
3. adoption n. 領養；採納
Sandy and Rita want to raise a child, so they are considering adoption.
珊蒂和麗塔想要撫養一個小孩，所以她們正在考慮領養。
4. thoroughly adv. 仔細地；非常
Before making a decision, Aaron thoroughly researched all the options.
在做出決定之前，亞倫仔細研究了所有選項。
5. profile n. 人物簡介；側面
Heidi’s online job profile lists her work history, volunteer experience, and useful skills.
海蒂的線上工作簡介列出了她的工作經歷、義工經驗以及有用的技能。
6. sentimental adj. 感情的；傷感的
Ida kept the old letters for sentimental reasons, as they reminded her of her youth.
艾達因情感上的原因保留了那些舊信件，因為它們讓她回想起自己的青春。
7. circular adj. 環狀的；循環的；圓形的
circular economy 循環經濟（一種經濟模式，旨在通過最大限度地減少浪費和重新使用資源，以實現永續發展）
The teacher drew a circular diagram to explain the water cycle.
老師畫了一個循環圖來解釋水循環。
8. concrete adj. 具體的；實在的
Your objectives for yourself are a little vague. Can you make them more concrete?
你給自己的目標有點模糊。你能讓它們更具體些嗎？
9. demonstrate v. 顯示；證明；示範
The results of the experiment demonstrated that crows and ravens are very intelligent birds.
這項實驗的結果顯示烏鴉和渡鴉是非常有智慧的鳥類。
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