From left, the McFarland family of Chloe, 7, Michele, Brian, and Liam, 4, sit surrounded by some of the 250 Pillow Pets the Catonsville family collected to donate to patients at the Johns Hopkins Children's Center earlier this month. (Staff photo by Nicole Martyn)

Michele McFarland and her family don’t live in the North Pole, but they are certainly Santa’s helpers.

The Catonsville residents’ Pillow Pet Drive ensured about 200 patients at the Johns Hopkins Children’s Center will have the gift of companionship for the holidays.

On Dec. 17, McFarland dropped off 250 Pillow Pets to the acute care hospital on North Wolfe Street, in Baltimore, for Santa to distribute to the children on Christmas Eve with extras put aside for special occasions during the year.

“A Pillow Pet is basically a plush stuffed animal that opens up, lays flat and acts as a pillow,” McFarland said. “We thought it was a good idea for children who were hospitalized so that they could have something to hold onto.”

Pillow Pets come in a variety of forms, such as ladybugs, puppies and pandas.

“(Pillow Pets) are comfort, they’re fun and they’re a hot commodity right now,” said Lauren Swope, a child life specialist at the children’s center. “A lot of children come in with them from home. I think they’re going to be super excited to get them as a gift.”

McFarland, a lifelong Catonsville resident, started the Pillow Pet Drive Nov. 2 with an e-mail and it rippled from there, she said.

“We sent it to family and friends, and they sent it to their family and friends,” said McFarland, who works in human resources for the Baltimore County Department of Social Services. “It touched so many people we don’t even know.”

Instead of asking only for the toys, McFarland offered the option of making a donation to those who wanted to help but didn’t want to buy a $20 Pillow Pet.

To make dropping off donations easier, bins were placed on the McFarlands’ front porch and at the office of Michele’s husband, Brian, on Frederick Road.

She said their children, Chloe, 7; and Liam, 4, would often find Pillow Pets on the front porch and Brian received donations, including one of 12 Pillow Pets at his office.

In addition to local support, McFarland said she received donations from people in New York, New Jersey, Florida and Georgia.

Initially, McFarland thought she wouldn’t be able to help all the children.

“I was taken aback. I didn’t expect it to be (200 children),” McFarland said. “I thought if we made it to half of that, it would be pretty good.

“They made it clear, though, that whatever we collected they would be appreciative of,” said McFarland, who estimated she spent about five hours a week working on the drive.

Instead of just meeting the goal, McFarland exceeded it by 25 percent.

Making the Pillow Pet Drive accessible to as many people as possible was a priority for McFarland, as was making every dollar count.

She contacted CJ Products, the company that produces Pillow Pets, and arranged to buy some of the toys at cost.

McFarland said she and her family look for ways to give throughout the year, but try to do more during the holidays.

A veteran of toy drives to benefit the children of Baltimore County Social Services for the past couple of years, McFarland said her family decided to change things up after a friend had a child in the Johns Hopkins Children’s Center.

“Through their experience, we learned about the Child’s Life Department at Johns Hopkins,” McFarland said. “We figured this holiday season would be a good way to keep supporting them and help them achieve their goals.”

McFarland said her children helped shop for the Pillow Pets, and that she and Chloe have volunteered at a cancer support association and a horse rescue.

“I think it’s very important that they understand that there are a lot of needs in this world,” McFarland said.

Chloe, apparently, has learned that lesson.

“Most of the time, when me and my mom (went) out to buy the Pillow Pets, I would always go with her. I like picking them out,” Chloe said.

“I pick out the ones I would want. It makes me feel good because I’m helping kids in the hospital. It feels really good.”

For each of her last two birthdays, her mother said Chloe has requested toys be donated to the children’s hospital.

Chloe said she will ask for more such donations for her eighth birthday in March.

“You could see how good it made her feel,” McFarland said. “She couldn’t wait to do it again. After we delivered everything on her sixth birthday, she asked, ‘When can we do it again?’ ”

To make a donation to the Johns Hopkins Children’s Center, call 410-955-6276.