Day 29- Missions for Youth

It's festival season in the South!  While attending The Big Shanty Festival in beautiful Kennesaw, GA (can you tell I heart Kennesaw??!) we were able to donate to a good cause for a very good parking spot- front row!  Kennesaw First Baptist Church opens up their parking lot in exchange for any amount of donation that funds various missions their youth group takes part in.  One of my greatest pet peeves in life is having to pay to park... lol.  But, i'm always happy to donate to a good cause, and was glad to do it!

By the way, the parade was awesome :)

Day 28- The Gift of Supplements

After changing some of the supplements i've been taking, I decided to list the  iron supplements I no longer needed on craigslist to see if i'd get any takers.  I always try to use craigslist before I throw otherwise un-donatable items away.  And as always, with in 5 min I got a response from a local mom who was in need!

Day 27- Goodwill

After a little spring cleaning, my minimalistic tendencies have manifested themselves through several bags of usable household goods!  If you have been reading my blog for a while, you may be wondering how is it possible this small family of three has so much stuff to donate?!  All three of us are not big shoppers, and we usually only buy what we need.  But, we have lots of friends and family who supply us with lots of things they want us to have, or think we need ;)  Hence all the donations! 

We loaded up our bags and swung by our local Goodwill on the way home.  Dropping off at Goodwill is always super easy and convenient.  Someone is always there waiting to take items out of your car and lend a hand.  There are several reasons why I like Goodwill, most of them being that they provide solutions for many people.  Check out some info on GoodWill:

Our Mission

Goodwill Industries International enhances the dignity and quality of life of individuals, families and communities by eliminating barriers to opportunity and helping people in need reach their fullest potential through the power of work.

Our Vision

Every person has the opportunity to achieve his/her fullest potential and participate in and contribute to all aspects of life.

Our Results for 2010

• People served through employment and training programs: Nearly 2.4 million
• Workforce development services provided: 20.1 million
• People who earned a job with Goodwill’s help : Over 170,000
• Estimated total earnings of people who earned a job with Goodwill’s help: Over $2.7 billion
• Personal and family support services provided: 7.5 million
• Total revenue generated by Goodwill organizations: $4 billion
• Total revenue spent directly on programs: 84 percent
• Total number of donors (includes repeat donations): 74 million
• Total number of retail stores: Over 2,500 and an online auction site, www.shopgoodwill.com

Day 26- Knowledge is Power

Knowledge is power, compassion is giving. 

I was searching on the Internet for ways to donate or re-use some of my older college textbooks.  Most of them I've sold if possible, but lots of others lingered.  Amazingly, there is a fantastic organization close by in Smyrna...  Books for Africa!

About Books For Africa

The mission of Books For Africa is to end the book famine in Africa. With your help, we will help create a culture of literacy and provide the tools of empowerment to the next generation of parents, teachers, and leaders in Africa.

Books donated by publishers, schools, libraries, individuals, and organizations are sorted and packed by volunteers who carefully choose books that are age and subject appropriate. We send good books, enough books for a whole class to use.

They are shipped in sea containers paid for by contributions from people like you. It costs about 50 cents to send a book from the United States to Africa. Since 1988, Books For Africa has shipped more than 24 million books to 45 African countries. They are on once-empty library shelves, in classrooms in rural schools, and in the hands of children who have never before held a book. Each book will be read over and over again. When the books arrive, they go to those who need them most: children who are hungry to read, hungry to learn, hungry to explore the world in ways that only books make possible. 



When we arrived at the warehouse, we found one person working and one person loading all the books.  This warehouse is massive!  They were very excited to get all my college texts, because those are the ones that can be used to educate future teachers, and social study majors.  I was so happy to donate these, and hope that if you have textbooks, or any other books for that matter, that you will take them to Books for Africa.  They can also be mailed, as well as dropped off at a few other locations.

For more info, please visit, www.booksforafrica.org

:)

Day 25- The Waiting is the Hardest Part....

Today I accompanied a friend to the dr's office.  After all, the waiting is the hardest part, and it's nice to have a friend to laugh with at the hideous decor instead of anxieties that can pop up ;)

I should mention that she was very kind to me in return, and bought me some much appreciated groceries from Trader Joes!

Thank you my anonymous friend ;)

Day 24- Books for Foster Children

Today we had a really special opportunity to donate books to foster children who have court appointments to check up on their progress.  A court appointment can be a very long and stressful day.  By being able to give the kids a book to read while they wait makes their day just a little easier and provides a small distraction from the time.

Isaac chose to donate a book on the Amazon that has lots of great pictures and facts. 

Chris & I donated a book by Touchpoint which has scriptural answer to common worries and problems.

Day 23- Pasta

Today we donated several boxes of Ronzoni Pasta to our local MUST Ministries drop box.

MUST is one of my favorite charities in the area, because they not only meet the immediate needs of families, but they also give them the tools they need to get back on the right track and live a successful life.

Feel free to visit their website for additional needs and volunteer opportunities!

www.mustministries.org