Month 3: Possessions

I struggle to publish this post (among all of the 7 ones) given that we're not supposed to let our left hand know what our right hand is doing, much less the blogosphere! But I hope that by sharing, I'm encouraging others to participate in this experiment in their own way. So, here goes...

During Month 3, Jen gave away 7 items per day, for 210 items in total. She had so many clothes, she and Council decided that clothes could only count for one week, or 49 items. I think I'm going to have to follow that rule as well!

I've also decided that I must donate to at least 7 different places. This makes the donations more intentional on my part, instead of just dropping everything off for Hannah Home or the Salvation Army.

1) I'm donating all of my t-shirts to my sweet friend, Hailey Boyd. She has been inspired by Riley Dreyfus' Hope for Hearts ministry and wants to do something to help her sister's orphange, among other orphan care ministries. She has decided she wants to make headbands out of old t-shirts to sell and raise money. What an amazing heart she has! The number of t-shirts between Adam and I is a little ridiculous, so I'm leaving that at 7 days worth of possessions.

2) Some of my clothes, jewelry and shoes, are going to a local women's shelter that I've volunteered with a couple of times. Back in 2010, through the Junior League, I taught an Employment Readiness class at this shelter. This class teaches women how to job search, create a resume and job interviewing skills. We had a great class! Most of the women were working really hard to find a job and were very grateful for the help we provided them. The staff at the shelter are also great!

One of the ways the shelter helps the women is with a clothes closet. The women are encouraged to look for appropriate interview and work attire in the closet. Therefore, the shelter is always in need of more clothes and especially work appropriate clothes, of which I have a TON. So, 7 days of possessions (clothes) are headed there. There will also be several more days worth of jewelry, purses and shoes headed there too.

3) Also, as a member of the Junior League, I'm expected to donate $100 worth of items for the annual Bargain Carousel. This is a fundraiser for the League, as well as a huge community event. It gives people a chance to purchase some great merchandise at a fraction of the regular price. So, some of my excess possessions will be headed there. I'm not sure what I'm going to do in future years given that I've cleaned out my house of extra things. I guess I'll have to go to yard sales and buy stuff to donate! At least 7 possessions, or 1 day's worth, are headed to the JLB. Unfortunately, I can't donate this stuff until the fall.

4) Earlier this month, our church participated in the Sav-A-Life baby shower for several expecting mothers and fathers that went through their mentoring/parenting classes. I had more than enough lotion, soap, wash cloths and blankets given to me when Taylor was born and haven't used them all. I was able to pull out 28 baby items, or 4 days worth, to donate to help create diaper bags and backpacks for the moms and dads.

5) A couple of weeks ago, there was a call from a church member for home and baby furnishings to help a single mother move into an apartment. This move was intended to help her get her children back from foster care. On Wednesday night we loaded up a couple of rugs, a TV, a comforter set, and several towels, wash cloths, and baby items. I sure hope getting into a stable living situation helps her get her children back! I'm thankful for our church members who are always willing to help others! I'm not sure how much I ended up giving her because it doesn't matter, but we'll call it 3 days worth.

6) ??

7) ??

I'm still looking for places 6 and 7 if anyone has any good ideas. I've got lots of books, more clothes, shoes, jewelry, purses, etc than the shelter needs, and more etc, etc, etc. I can't even remember what all we've gone through now! I even recycled our hangers back to the dry cleaners!

Please let me know if you know of anyone in need or have any ideas where to donate!