Ryan Reynolds’ efforts to reunite a Vancouver woman with a very special bear pay off

Mama Bear is back with her cub. Earlier this week, Vancouver resident Mara Soriano had her backpack — containing an iPad, a Nintendo Switch, documents, and an irreplaceable teddy bear — stolen when she stopped in at a local restaurant during a move. And while you might assume that the missing tech (and everything on it) would be the biggest loss to come out of the theft, it was the stuffed bear that Soriano mourned most.The curtom Build-A-Bear contained a last recording from her late mother, telling her that she loved her, she was proud of her, and that she’d always be with her. Soriano’s mother passed away last June after a fight with cancer. But this story has a happy ending: when news of the missing bear hit the media, word spread quickly and was amplified by hometown hero, Ryan Reynolds.[video_embed id='2003234']RELATED: Ryan Reynolds offering $5000 for the return of woman's sentimental stuffed bear[/video_embed]Being the mensch that he is, Reynolds stepped up to offer a reward of $5,000, no questions asked, to whoever returned the bear to Soriano. Just days later the stuffed teddy happily made its way back to its rightful owner. Both Reynolds and Soriano celebrated on Twitter, where the hashtag #FindMarasBear had been helping to spread the news and reach whoever was holding on to her prize possession. We’d say that the look on Soriano’s face at being reunited with her bear is worth at least $5,000.

In happier news... thank you everyone who searched high and low. To the person who took the bear, thanks for keeping it safe. Vancouver is awesome. #FoundMarasBear https://t.co/X7FlyiR89P

— Ryan Reynolds (@VancityReynolds) July 29, 2020

Reynolds’ initial reward offering was matched by Canadian TV personality George Stroumboulopoulos and American film director Rawson Thurber. The cash they donated, along with other generous Twitter users, went to Sunnybrook Hospice, where Soriano’s mother received care at the end of her life. Dan Levy, who also posted about the missing bear, called Reynolds a “gem” for his efforts to reunite Mara and her bear.

You’re a gem, RR.

— dan levy (@danjlevy) July 29, 2020

Hard agree. We needed this kind of good news.[video_embed id='-1']BEFORE YOU GO: Sphynx kitten feeding time looks like a cute little alien drinking milk[/video_embed]