Donation Ideas -- Give Big

Anonymous · August 2008

This is not a solicitation for money but ideas .....

My daughter is working on a school project ... and the idea is done. The medium to do it has been decided, that's not the problem ... but when I called the Homeless Shelter in our area about the implementation they were sooooooo nice and willing to participate as her idea was to raise awareness about homeless in our area (which most people wouldn't even know we had any!!).

The shelter and soup kitchen is literally on the other side of the tracks.

Ok, so I was not going to have to be "involved" .. my daughter was just going to take some photos of poor kids and then our neighborhood kids ... eating, playing, where you sleep, etc .. the contrasting photos. Ok, the Shelter says, love it, we'll help.

But what will she do for them, I was asked? Um, huh? Oh, right. Let me call you back. They said they need backpacks, school supplies and hygiene supplies for 25-30 kids. Really, let me call you back.

I called some major places ... Walgreens, CVS, Target and Payless Shoe Source ... All willing to help in a small way ...

When I told my daughter that the store requests a letter from her in her handwriting (and from the Shelter with their tax exempt number which they said they'd do), She asked how many backpacks did that mean? I said, so far maybe 10 backpacks or maybe all the crayons and markers. My daughter put her hands on her head and put her head down and started crying about how hard this would be.

I said, No ... Mommy already started calling, you will still get to take your pictures .. She said noooooo ... if that's only 10 backbacks, then what about the other kids? They will all raise their hands and need a backpack!!!!!! How do I decide who gets a backback? They all want one She was crying because it's just not enough! After I stopped crying, we said we won't stop til we get 30 backpacks. She even wants to give away her own backpack since she thinks she can get another from Santa at Xmas... I've convinced her they want a new one but she is lovely ...

Who else can I call??????? All the stores want her to come in ... so she will do that and write the letters she said.

I called Payless Shoe Source. They said with the 501(c)3 they can submit a request for 30 pairs of shoes .... The Shelter said they can provide the letter with the information. (They are so excited about this!!!!)

Help!!!! Help us give big!!!! If you have an idea or a source, we can get you the info and the Shelter has obviously agreed to send thank you letters and receipts.

LuAnnH · August 2008

That is so sweet! Your daugther is on the right track! I wish more people were into giving back to the community, most people want to ignore homeless people and hope they go away. I live in Cincinnati and P&G is big in this community, contacting someone like that directly for something like the hygene supplies may get you all that easily. They do donate alot of stuff you just have to contact the right people and ask. Not sure where to start but it is a thought.

Anonymous · August 2008

Great!!!!!!!!! They suggested that the kids need hygiene supplies. I will try to find a place like P&G!

You know, LuAnn, when I was calling the places, I kept thinking, this is her project, this is hers, what am I doing??? But then, I thought, well, her idea is the pics, I'll have to help her "Pay" for the priviledge .... When she started crying and fretting about how hard this would be, crying about the kids, I just thought: what a great kid I have ...... thanks, LuAnne. This whole thing has gone beyond the project and is now something we have to do, even if she gets no pics.

AlaskaDeb · August 2008

What a sweet kid! Do you have a Staples or a Best Buy in town? I think both of them have a process for donation of school supplies.

Good Luck

Deb C

Anonymous · August 2008

Yep yep, we do .......... will call tomorrow... Thanks Deb!!!!

newter · August 2008

Here is what we do at the company I work for: Every quarter we choose a local place in need and list about 4 items that place needs the most and give all the employees a month or 2 to bring in their donations. It has been working great but I work in an office with about 100 people. We have created care bags with with hygeine supplies for the local womens shelter, we collected a bunch of diapers and baby supplies for another place. There have been times when the company has kicked in a matching donation.

yellowrose · August 2008

Our local college and university do supply collections at key campus locations. If you have one near check to see if some of the student organizations are willing to work with you in collecting supplies.. The job is easier when more hands are helping. It's great to see the empathy your daughter is learning for other's situations. God Bless

gsg · August 2008

What about Costco?

Your daughter is a gem. (And adorable.) Usually, the apple doesn't fall far from the tree. She most likely gets her compassion from you....well done!

LuAnnH · August 2008

Someone mentioned college, I belonged to a soriority (did I spell that right??) andway they all have to do philanthropic work so the frats and soriorities may be a place to look also.

Anonymous · August 2008

Costco said $25 is the most they can donate and will but they get solicitations all the time they said. I can call the colleges to see which ones have organizations that may help!

Analemma · August 2008

I don't know if this might work. Our church does a lot of charity stuff and once a month we have a "focus" collection where everything in the collection plate goes toward an altruistic project. Maybe you could ask if anything like that is available?

I donate time, not money, to the women and children's homeless shelter. I go for an hour once every two weeks, originally it was for health education, but has gradually morphed into a children's group therapy, especially when I have 10 to 14 ages. They need so much, but a lot of it is just someone to talk to and listen.

LuAnnH · August 2008

See everyone keeps giving me more ideas. Most of our local churches have money allocated to donate to people int he communtiy, doesn't matter if they belong to the parish or congregation or not. Maybe that would help, and I would take the $25 from costco, how many bottles of hand santizer will that buy you from them?

lvtwoqlt · August 2008

You could even go to the local media and see if they would do a local interest story on your daughter's vision to help the children in the shelter and the need for school supplies and hygene items. Let the community help the community.

Sheila

yellowrose · August 2008

Just thought of something else. All of our local office supply stores are having "back to school specials" Things like erasers 1 penney, pocket folders 5 cents, sharpeners 10 cents, etc. Go online or check your weekend sales flyers for these specials. One year I made the rounds and picked up over half the supplies on the list for 3 of my nieces for less than 25.00 total by going to several different places. There are always limits of 3 or 6 but if you buy and your daughter buys, you double your limit. If you stick to just the advertised items, you make out like a bandit.

In our area Walgreen and CVC also has the cheap specials.

gsg · August 2008

what about dollar stores?

lvtwoqlt · August 2008

following up on YellowRose, Our church gives supplies to a local school who has 95% reduced/free lunch and when we see the back to school specials, we call the other people at church who said that they would help and we all go get the supplies, sometimes multiple times for each person. Last year I went to Staples 4 times in one day (going to lunch, at the end of lunch, off from work, after dinner).

Sheila

LuAnnH · August 2008

I just bought all my notebooks at walmart for .10 each, folders for .05, big bags of pens for .50. Those were the main things I needed but target, walmart all the biggies are selling that stuff dirt cheap right now.

BethNY · August 2008

What about local restaurants like AppleBees or Fridays. They love to get involved in the communities where they are located.

BethNY · August 2008

Also, I second the post about calling your local media. You can get the phone number on line. They LOVE stories like this!!!

Hattie · August 2008

Media, definitely! Then more local people will get involved, and your daughter rocks and more people will realize that and support her.

Please let her know, what she does matters, very much. She is not responsible for fixing the whole world and she is doing more than her part. Much more.

You know the story about throwing one beached starfish into the sea? It doesn't save them all, but it matters very much to that one.

Keep on and take care,

--Hattie

Anonymous · August 2008

I was able to get 10 free homework folders today from Staples. They said I could come back tomorrow and get 10 more but I don't have time ... If I do, I will go back again.

Right now, my appointment with the lady is set for Friday. My daughter must do a letter of request and we will work on that on Monday and leave the Salutation blank so that she can fill it in as needed and photocopy it about 50 times ... I called Jansport today and they said that it's possible they can donate all 30 backpacks with the letter from my daughter accompanied by the information from the Shelter ...

Anonymous · August 2008

I was pm'ing LuAnne and thought, I could call Colgate and Crest. Maybe they can mail us toothbrushes???

My dad thought, if all the kids at school got new backpacks, maybe they have some gently used ones that they could donate. I know all kids want new, but they could at least be used eventually! So, Monday, that's on my list to talk to the principal.

Anonymous · August 2008

Today, I went to Office Depot and the manager handed me 25 tote bags each with a notepad, homework folder and a pen. Said come back with a supply list that he can work at filling. He said next year he can give 50 backpacks filled with supplies, that he's already given his to another store who had a large request.

So, today, I also talked to the school principal, after verifying that the shelter kids can accept used items, the principal is going to make an announcement over the PA system to bring in a new or gently used backpack (since most got a new one for the new year). She is going to talk to the PTA tonight about it. And .... she is going to talk to the whole 2nd grade class about this and get them behind Teryn. Her eyes were brimming with tears and happy about such a good project for all the kids to be involved with.

Teryn's meeting with the Director of the shelter is tomorrow night. I met with them today, wanted to know where to park, make sure it was a safe area, etc .... We drafted a letter from them, to the companies, verifying Teryn's efforts on their behalf and that they will send thank you letters out to acknowledge their gifts/donations. Taking a trip by myself was a good idea, I have a much better idea of what they need in addition to school supplies and it all makes a difference. I found out that the teen age girls there sometimes don't even have sanitary pads/tampon sometimes!! I asked if they ever contacted Kotex or Playtex?? She said they haven't and they just don't have the manpower. So --- I'm on a mission.

lvtwoqlt · August 2008

Rocktobermom - you and your daughter rock. Our church donates items regularly to the local women's shelter home and I didn't think about donating the sanitary supplies. Our shelter is run on a shoe-string budget and they accept all donations graciously. When we do a fund-raiser spaghetti dinner and we have extra spaghetti and salads we take the food to them for their meals. Sometimes it is the little things that make a big difference in other's lives. It is also good to get the other children in your daughter's class involved. Teach them young to care about the needs of others and it will make a big difference in the world.

Sheila

Anonymous · August 2008

Sheila, just so you know ... your shelter has a tax exempt ID number. You can solicit donations on their behalf at your local grocery stores and get things like the sanitary supplies. The lady said these girls run out of the small box they get when they leave the shelter and use toilet paper. They'd like to be able to give the girls a month supply when they leave.

Just so you all know, this has NOT taken a lot of time. I was able to make the phone calls on a break from work and I stopped by the Office Depot as I was driving by. The supermarket is my Monday stop anyway!!

As the lady said, people remember the poor at Christmas ... and many bring toys, greatly appreciated, food for holidays, etc ... but during the rest of the year, it's forgotten in our daily lives ... these kids don't have a choice and for some of the women, it is better to get the kids out than stay where they were!!!! It was heartbreaking and brings tears to your eyes to walk into a multi-family residence and the place is spic and span and you see a colorful bedspread adorned with stuffed animals ... for now they are at least safe.

The Shelter will care for the family for 9 months ... they charge $50-90 a month rent depending on family size. The mom's must agree to put all their wages in a savings account that they cannot touch. The director will write a check as needed for their bills or repairs. It is a sober and clean environment and you have to have a clean record. All must have valid id's and children must have a social security card and birth certificate. I met some of the mom's and they are just like you and me. One lady came in so happy she was getting a job and just needed one last reference which the Shelter gave her.

BethNY · August 2008

Just wanted to say how proud we all are of you and your daughter!!!

How about contacting your local Shoprite, or big foodstore chain.... they give big! Especially within the community!

Anonymous · August 2008

I just checked Beth, they aren't in Cali

LuAnnH · August 2008

Have you had any luck with P&G? If not, let me know. My daughters friends mom is a scientist for them, she might be able to give me a contact number.

Anonymous · August 2008

Just got home from school ... principal said it was a go ... she is announcing today to the whole school to bring those backpacks in!!!!!!!!

AnnNYC · August 2008

This is such an awesome project -- starting from the beginning, with the contrasting photos to raise awareness -- you and your daughter are so wonderful.

Anonymous · August 2008

Here is the shelter we went to tonight and we met the woman and her kids in the news article. We had NOOOOOOOOOO idea about this news article until the lady, Kelly, showed it to me. We met her and her children. We met a family whose landlord took their money, first and last months rent and the whole time, his property was in foreclosure. They will stay there to recoup their money, but family is out of the country and they do have jobs so they are rebuilding.

One lady, with her daughter, it was their first night ever in a shelter. She's been in a hotel for about 2 weeks with vouchers but they ran out. Her husband locked the doors on their house. She is afraid of him and too afraid to tell the police.

We got such a nice letter from the shelter identifying my daughter and the work she is trying to do .... so the project (taking pics) is still my daughter's ... she was snapping away ... but the rest of it has been taken wings. She can photograph the results but like my sister and I were talking about .. it's too big to just step back. I can help her with this part, I can even take the lead while she gets too tired but these people need help. And my helping her is not taking away from the project .. she will just now have pics of all her friends helping her!!!

I even told her, that if she wanted to just focus on the work and not photograph it that it would be just fine ..... that we can do this for them but she said, no, she wants to take pics ... who knows how this will turn out?

http://www.pe.com/localnews/riverside/stories/PE_News_Local_W_wshelter01.48c9a62.html

Donation Ideas -- Give Big

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