Day 61- Drops of Good.

Maxwell House has a really great community project going on right now.  Each day, you can vote for grants that will assist various local and national organizations that are changing communities for the better.  Explore each one to learn more, and then vote! 

www.facebook.com/maxwellhouse

http://www.kraftbrands.com/maxwellhousecoffee/drops-of-good/Pages/default.aspx

Day 60- Brew-lanthropy- Great Coffee for Great People!

I voted!

Day 59- Ink Cartridges

Today I took my empty ink cartridge to the local staples store for recycling.  The best part is that it's super easy, and for every cartridge you recycle, you get a $2 credit! 

Staples encourages our customers to take advantage of our ink and toner recycling services and help protect the environment. In addition to reducing waste going to landfills and saving resources, our retail customers in the United States receive $2 in Staples Rewards^® for any brand of ink or toner cartridge they return to our stores, up to 10 cartridges each month.

Day 58- Locks of Love

God has gifted me with freakishly fast growing hair that doesn't get split ends, and always seems to be shiny and healthy.  I am constantly getting compliments on my hair!  While that is nice and all, I am actually not very attached to my hair.  Because of these two things, it made it very very easy to donate all that hair I had to Locks of Love.  It's been my favorite donation so far :)

Our mission is to return a sense of self, confidence and normalcy to children suffering from hair loss by utilizing donated ponytails to provide the highest quality hair prosthetics to financially disadvantaged children.

To see what a difference it can make to a child, check out these before and after pics from http://www.locksoflove.org/:

Isn't that fantastic?  I was able to donate quite a lot of hair, since this is my new haircut!

And yes, for those of you who don't know me, this is the hair model :)  Want to shout out to Priscilla (a One Woman Blessings fan!) for doing a fantastic job.  Here's to the start of your fabulous career ;)

Day 57- Stamp out Hunger

Today's kindness was super easy thanks to our local postal worker- We slipped some soup into the mailbox, and that was it!

On Saturday, May 14, Campbell Soup Company will join forces with the National Association of Letter Carriers (NALC) to Stamp Out Hunger across America in order to provide assistance to the rapidly increasing number of Americans who are struggling with hunger.

Now in its 19th year, the Stamp Out Hunger effort is the nation's largest single-day food drive. In 2010, a record-setting total of 77.1 million pounds of food was donated, which brought the grand total of donations to more than one billion pounds of food collected over the history of the drive.

http://www.helpstampouthunger.com/

Day 56- Freecycle

I have been on a cleaning binge lately... while cleaning out our kitchen, I found several extra stainless steel bottles that have seen better days, extra rice that was coming up on it's expiration, and lots of organic tea that was also getting close to it's date.  Instead of throwing them away, or letting them expire, I decided to post to my local freecycle network to see if anyone was interested.  It never fails to surprise me what people want and need!

"Our mission is to build a worldwide gifting movement that reduces waste, saves precious resources & eases the burden on our landfills while enabling our members to benefit from the strength of a larger community."

Please visit www.freecycle.org to find a group near you!

Day 55- Pick it Up

Trash, that is.  While Isaac and I were out shopping, there was a lot of trash that was bugging me.  So, we picked it up, and put it in it's proper place- the trash can.  Then we washed our hands, and got on with our day leaving the shopping center a cleaner place :)

Day 54- Grocery Assistance

While out shopping for groceries, my favorite past time (LOL), there was a lady struggling to reach the top shelf.  Maybe it was the look I gave her, but she let me squeeze in there and grab her ice cream bars for her.  She was pretty excited.  It was nice having something random come up where I was able to help someone, in some small way :)

Day 53- Free Frosty?

Who doesn't love a nice cold frosty after a hot summer day at the park?  Anyone??  Well, it gets even better!  How about a free frosty, and it benefits the community! 

Right now, participating Wendy's have the cutest frosty key chain tag (for $1 donation) that gets you a free frosty (with any purchase) through the end of October!  Since Isaac loves their chicken sandwiches (the only chicken he'll eat, in fact) we go there a lot :)  It seems like each location has different community organizations benefiting from the sale- ours is the Salvation Army.  I think this is a great idea, and I love that Wendy's is so community focused.

Thanks Wendy's, we'll be seeing you soon! ;)

Day 52- Give me your blood!

One of our local church's held a blood drive this past week, and since I know I'm not able to donate, I found someone who was- my husband Chris! 

 

Benefits of Donating It feels great to donate! You get free juice and cookies. It's something you can spare – most people have blood to spare... yet, there is still not enough to go around. You will help ensure blood is on the shelf when needed – most people don't think they'll ever need blood, but many do. You will be someone's hero – in fact, you may help as many as three people with just one donation. (www.redcrossblood.org)

Chris was eligible to use their machine, which equals more donations!  All types of donations are great- to learn more, please visit: Types of Donations American Red Cross

Day 51- Atlanta History Center

Isaac & I were able to take advantage of National Public Garden's Day at the Atlanta History Center.  The History Center is so beautiful, and has a ton of great exhibits.  All I heard from Isaac all day was, 'this is AWESOME!' over and over again ;)

Since it was so awesome and we got in free, we made a small donation while inside.




If you are in the area, highly recommend!

We also got a pretty good workout in walking through all the gardens!

Day 50- Couponing for the Community

My kindness today is really not just for one day, but something that has been on-going for some time.  For those of you who have seen or heard of 'extreme couponing' on TLC, I use a similar system, but let me just say, it is no where at the level these people do it!  I don't believe it is right to clear shelves; it's greedy.  So, with that said, I do use coupons to get a lot of free or nearly free items.  When I get extras that my family can not use, I like to donate to various community organizations.  When the tornadoes hit in close by areas, I was able to donate several bathroom items and food, thanks to planning ahead.  Besides, they need it much more than me. 

If you do coupon, I encourage only keeping what you need, and sharing with others.  There will be more coupons in the future ;)

Day 49- Photo Op.

While visiting our local gardens, I spotted the loveliest couple and their three kids.  Not only were they having a good time, but they were all actually smiling and enjoying each other!  This stood out in stark contrast of all the other parents yelling at their kids (poor management, if you ask me... which you didn't! ha).  Isaac and I were having a great time and when we happened to be behind them waiting to cross a bridge, I asked if they wanted me to take their picture- it was a beautiful photo op!

They were stunned that someone would offer, and kept going on and on about how sweet it was while rummaging for a camera, which they didn't appear to have.  Being that I am now somewhat technically savvy, I pulled out my phone and offered to send their picture to an email address.  I was pretty pleased with myself ;)  And then they found their camera... ha ha. 

It turned out to be a really great photo :)

Day 48- Plan USA

Today we sent our sponsorship money and a letter to Julius.  He is our sponsor child through Plan USA who lives in the Philippians.

Plan USA strives to achieve lasting improvements in the quality of life of deprived children in developing countries by:

• Enabling children, their families and their communities to meet basic needs and to increase their ability to participate in and benefit from their societies;
• Fostering relationships to increase understanding and unity among peoples of different cultures and countries; and
• Promoting the rights and interests of the world’s children.

Sponsoring a child is just one of many ways to help children worldwide.  Check out some other ways to give:


Ways To Give

Day 47- Box Tops!

We have been saving Box Tops for an entire year now!



Box tops are a super easy way to make a difference, whether or not you have a child! Most schools have competitions each year to see which class can raise the most, so if you aren't using them, I am pretty sure your favorite child will be happy to take them off your hands :)

Day 46- Fire Department Piggy Bank

Today I thought I would help our local Fire Department be able to put a little extra in their personal piggy banks by getting a fabulous deal on a few dinners for them- Man Meals!  lol.  Seriously, these guys stay so busy that they usually just have time to run in and out of the store to get dinner, and usually don't get a great deal (sorry guys!).  Because I take advantage of local sales and coupons, with a little planning, I can incorporate in some meal ideas for the FD if they are interested, which they usually are, as it cuts the cost of dinner in half!  I'm happy to do it, and glad that they are saving what they can as well. 

Thanks Station 26 for all your hard work!

Day 45- United Way

Today I took United Way's Pledge (http://www.liveunited.org/) to join one million volunteer readers, tutors and mentors.  I plan on contacting http://www.childrenspeacecenter.org/ to apply as a Peace Educator.  There are so many opportunities, please take the pledge, and let me know which opportunity you will pursue!

Our Mission

United Way improves lives by mobilizing the caring power of communities around the world to advance the common good.

Our Goals

In 2008, United Way initiated a 10-year program designed to achieve the following goals by 2018:

• Improve education, and cut the number of high school dropouts — 1.2 million students, every year — in half.
• Help people achieve financial stability, and get 1.9 million working families — half the number of lower-income families who are financially unstable — on the road to economic independence.
• Promote healthy lives, and increase by one-third the number of youth and adults who are healthy and avoid risky behaviors.

Our goals are ambitious, but with your help, and by utilizing our core strengths — a national network, committed partners and public engagement capacity — we can achieve them.

Day 44- Give & Take

My mom is coming to visit soon and I have a nice big guestroom for her to stay in.  Unfortunately, there is also nothing in it.  We have been doing some rearranging and pairing down of furniture.  Figuring she might want a soft place to sleep at night, I was able to find a next-to-new covered mattress on freecycle.  Noticing the lady also had a posting asking for baby items, I looked around.  I happened to have two cans of ready to use Similac formula that I was going to donate (somewhere, at some time I swear!) that had been collecting dust for a while.  For all of you wondering why I would buy such a random item to donate (especially since I don't have a baby anymore!) the answer is coupons. 

Formula happened to be on sale for $3.87, and I had a coupon for $5.  Some stores will give you the overage to use on your bill.  Bonus for me, bonus formula for someone in need!

Day 43- Lifestyle Choices

Living somewhat of a minimalistic lifestyle, I'm constantly being surprised by how much 'stuff' begins to pile up...

Through careful planning and the never ending generosity of friends, we are rarely in need of anything we need or even want.  Because of all the love given to us, we love nothing more than to hand it back out as we can.  Some how a couple bags of home decor items gathered themselves up and were taken nowhere else but my husband's favorite stop- The Goodwill! 

Ah Goodwill, I feel that we are destined to meet again soon! ;)

Day 42- Tornado Survivors (Southern US)

The South has been hit very hard, and a lot of people have been scrambling trying to scrape basic necessities together for themselves, their family, and community.  Thanks to help from my new local friend, Shelby, I was able to have several bags filled with bathroom items, clothing, food, and shoes transported to some of the hardest hit areas.  Shelby is a local who is making a big difference- she has rallied her co-workers, and loaded a U-Haul which she plans on taking to various drop locations.  Kudos to Shelby.  Thanks to your help, I got a lot of needed items transported to where they are needed the most!

If you are close enough to the disaster areas, please consider going through your cabinets, closets, and hearts to give what you can.  For me, I am satisfied that come this weekend, someone will be wearing my former clothes, and using my (new!) deodorant ;)  LOL. 

Day 41- Beware the flashers!

The flash mob that is....





Becoming Mom is donating a dime to the March of Dimes for every YouTube viewing of this video... so you can contribute simply by sharing with family and friends.


Money donated to the March of dimes helps fund research to eliminate birth defects and helps moms have full term, healthy pregnancies.


If you wish to contribute more, go to www.becomingmomspa.com/flashmob

Day 40- Click for Kids! FREE way to Donate $10!

What is better than being able to donate $10 with the click of a mouse? How about doing it for free & learning something in the process.





Northwestern Mutual is funding $200,000 for these three great causes: Action for Healthy Kids, Teach for America, and Easter Seals.  Learn more about it by visiting their website: www.northwesternmutual.com or their FB page: http://www.facebook.com/LLSforacure?sk=wall#!/northwesternmutual?sk=app_207072932637803

What an awesome and easy way to donate!

Day 39- Hope for a Cure

Today we donated for a very worthwile cause-

The mission of The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS) is: Cure leukemia, lymphoma, Hodgkin's disease and myeloma, and improve the quality of life of patients and their families.

LLS is the world's largest voluntary health agency dedicated to blood cancer. LLS funds lifesaving blood cancer research around the world and provides free information and support services. http://www.lls.org/

*Continuing to send support as we can, and always praying for all types of cures*

Day 38- One can never have enough reading material ;)

Anyone else out there that gets excited over books?!  LOL.  I do, and I especially like to share them once I've read and absorbed their contents.  Having recently graduated, I had a mound of textbooks begging to be released to their next victims.  On Day 26 (http://onewomanblessings.blogspot.com/2011/04/day-26-knowledge-is-power.html) I posted about Books for Africa, a great non-profit that accepts textbooks and other reading materials.  I would have loved to drop all my books off with them, however, I had several American Government and Civics books (these types of materials aren't accepted due to international laws and policies).  Needless to say, they had been sitting around for too long, and Chris (my wonderful, compulsively cleaning husband) was getting itchy. 

And where does Chris love to donate things?...........





To the Goodwill drop off!  They have a wonderful book selection there... I wonder why?! ;)

Find a Goodwill close to you: http://locator.goodwill.org/

Day 37- Breakfast for Firefighters

Today I sent in breakfast for the firefighters.  With all the furloughs and talk of pay cuts, I thought it might be nice if they had one less thing to have to worry about...  Thanks for all you do!