Summer of Service - week 4: donate

Welcome back to the weekly Summer of Service challenge!  Last week was a lot of fun! Holden and I enjoyed putting post-it notes all over Wal-Mart!  I've even come across a few more that I wish we would have thought of - "get well soon" in the medicine aisle, "you are pretty just the way you are" in the make-up aisle, and "you are a great mom" in the baby section.  I think we'll do a few more notes this week!  :)  Were you able to join us?  I would love to hear from you if you are serving alongside us this summer!

You can find previous challenges here (it's never too late to complete a challenge!):

week one

week two
week three

This week's theme is:  donate.  If your house is anything like ours, it's full of so many things that we absolutely do not need.  I like to keep a donation box for things that I want to pass along to someone I think could use it.  And, while donating to Goodwill (or other similar stores) is super easy, I try to be intentional with where we donate so that the intended recipients don't have to pay for the items.  It doesn't happen all the time and is a bit more time consuming - but I try.  Below are some household items that you could sift through and see if you have anything that needs to be donated.  I've also included a list of donation sites in the B/CS area.

Do you have any of the following laying around your house?

* baby clothes - pregnancy outreach centers, women's shelters, and churches will be able to get these items to someone who could really use them

* children's clothes - school nurses and counselors know the needs of families and will be able to pass along any donations

* jeans - host a Sole Hope shoe cutting party and your old jeans can become shoes for children in Africa

* stuffed animals - check with your local police/fire department to see if they use them for emergency calls

* construction materials/items from remodel - Habitat for Humanity ReStore

* eyeglasses - can be refurbished and distributed to those in need (check your local Lions Club to find the nearest collection site)

* children's books - local libraries, teachers, or Books and a Blanket

* magazines - Meals on Wheels recipients love receiving magazines with their meals

* toiletries - hotel size toiletries are perfect to use for blessing bags or to donate to your local school food pantry (sadly, our schools are filled with homeless children - individualized sizes of shampoo/soap are great to have when they have access to school showers)
-Do you travel for work or know others that do? Will you be vacationing later this summer?  Bring back your hotel toiletries and be a blessing to others!  It won't cost you anything!

* extra school supplies - am I the only one who has a drawer full of unsharpened pencils?!  Check with teachers (especially the older grades who tend to get forgotten) and your local Stuff the Bus project.

* old smart phones/iPods - check with teachers at a nearby school - what seems outdated and worthless to us can be put to use in a classroom

* outgrown sports equipment - check with your local sports leagues and see if there are kids in need that could benefit from your kiddos outgrown equipment

* winter coats - you might have to hold on to these till it gets cold again (hint - I bag up donations for later and put them in my attic with a sticky note on the outside then I also put a date on my calendar for later to "check attic for donations) :)

* garden produce - contact your local food bank if you have been blessed with a bountiful crop that you would like to share

* unused make-up samples - love getting the free gift but never use all the items?  Why not give them to your local women's shelter?

* aluminum cans - most of us recycle but another option is to sell them and use the money to bless others

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If you live in or near the B/CS area, you can drop off donations at the following locations:

Aggieland Humane Society - blankets (NO comforters, pillows, or sheets, please!!!)

Books and a Blanket - accepts new blankets, crates, books-both new and gently used.  Please contact booksandablanket@gmail.com for drop off locations.

Brazos Valley Food Bank - in addition to canned food, donations of diapers, paper towels, toilet paper, and feminine hygiene products

Bryan/College Station Public Library System - accepts books, audiobooks, magazines and videos.  Donations can be dropped off at the Mounce Library in Bryan or the Ringer Library in College Station.

Habitat for Humanity ReStore - acceptable donations include items of building materials, appliances, furniture, and home decor. 

Meals on Wheels - magazines

Texas A&M Vet School Dean's Office - accepts gently loved stuffed animals for their yearly Open House (donations not being accepted till February 2016)

the Princess Project of Bryan/College Station - donated formal/semi-formal dresses

Twin City Mission's Resale Stores - an outlet to donate good used clothes and household items*

          Alice's Attic, 424 N. Main, Downtown Bryan (hours Mon-Sat 9am-5pm)

          Second Chance I, 803 Wellborn Road, College Station (hours Mon-Sat 9am-6pm)

          Second Chance II, 3808 Old College, Bryan (hours Mon-Sat 10am-6pm)

          Second Chance III, 218 W. Washington, Navasota (hours Wed-Sat 9:30am-5pm)

 *Some donated items help stock the Community Closet and the Client Closet.  These donations provide direct support to the clients of the Homeless & Housing Services Program and the Domestic Violence Services Program.  These items include, but are not limited to: clothing, small household items and furniture.  All items provided through the Community Closet and the Client Closet are made available at no cost.  Second Chance II is the designated donation center for the Domestic Violence Services Program.

+ Twin City Mission also hosts a coat and blanket drive at the end of the fall/beginning of winter each year.

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I can't wait to get rid of some stuff!  What about you?  Do you know of other places to donate specific items?  If so, share them in the comments section!

Join me on Instagram and tag your pictures with #soschallenge2015.  I would love to share what you guys are doing!  I love pulling inspiration from projects that others are working on so share, share, share!

I hope you'll join me!

Have a fabulous week!  Gig 'em and God bless! 

Holly

and come back on Wednesday for the Waiting on...Wednesday link-up - a place where you can link up what you are waiting on, going through, making, anything - as long as it's family-friendly!  :)  

AND...for the next 10 weeks, you can find a BONUS link-up here for summer family fun posts!  There are 30 co-hosts so your post will get maximum exposure!!!  Feel free to link up both days!

Be sure you check out my FAVORITE link-ups page to see where I'm linking up today.  Stop by and show them some love! :)

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Much appreciation goes out to Amanda from diary of a (semi) Health Nut for featuring week 4 of our Summer of Service challenge! Thank you so much!