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Published on 08/11/1997 All articles from this issue

Monkey-making ladies desperately seeking nylons

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By Carol Tiegs

Town Crier Staff Writer

They snip and stuff and stitch and chat. They make a lot of children happy in the process. And they need your help - and your nylons.

They call themselves "the monkey toy ladies," a group of women who've been faithfully meeting Monday mornings at the Los Altos Senior Center for more than 20 years to make stuffed monkeys for patients at the Lucile Salter Packard Children's Hospital at Stanford University. The cuddly creatures, each with its unique hand-crafted face, are given to child patients as companions when they are checked in to the hospital.

The monkey toy ladies said they have made more than 5,000 stuffed monkeys so far.

"When the hospital first opened they needed about 15 monkeys a month," said Margaret Filson. "Now they can use 40 or more each month."

In order to stay in production, the group needs hosiery - nylons, knee-hi's, pantyhose - for stuffing the monkeys. Their supply is low and the need is urgent, the ladies said.

You can drop off clean, used hosiery between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. weekdays at the Los Altos Senior Center, 97 Hillview Ave., Los Altos.

The group also welcomes new participants. They meet on Mondays from 9:30-11:30 a.m. at the senior center.

"While we do a service, we also have fun chatting and solving all the problems of the world," Filson said. "We have a lot of fun, and we'd love to have you stop by."

For information on the monkey toy ladies, call Margaret Filson at 948-0993.