Challenge 2020 - 12 Months of Giving

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Last year, I challenged you all to a more organized home….it was a lot to take on, I know! BUT – didn’t it feel great? Well, challenge 2020 is 12 Months of Giving.

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Declutter your home while donating to those in need.

Let’s take each month and challenge ourselves to removing it from our home and giving it to those who need it more.

We will start here:

January – Food
February – Clothing
March – Towels
April – Books
May – Toys
June – Dishes
July – Personal hygiene items
August – Clothing
September – Home decor
October – Warm jackets/blankets
November – Food
December – Toys/books

January and November – Food

Find your local community kitchen using this website – Food Pantries

You will find your state and city – each city will have a list of food pantries. Connected to that are websites that instruct you on how to donate. Donations are usually accepted during certain hours and a list of what they DON’T take will be on the site.

No donation is too small. The great part about food banks is they give things to people based on their family size. Don’t be afraid to give away ONE can of something you won’t use….someone will use it.

The other option is to give to your local homeless shelter. This is a little trickier. They are VERY limited on what they will take because one box of cereal won’t feed everyone……..

February and August – Clothing

If you spend each weekend in the month of February and August cleaning out closets and dressers, by the end of the month I am willing to bet you have at LEAST 2 trash bags FULL of unused clothing…in ALL sizes!

Here is where some research might be needed on your part for our Challenge 2020 – 12 months of giving.

There are plenty of organizations that help get clothing to people in need for cheap. Goodwill stores, Salvation Army, Rescue Missions…..but most of these places CHARGE for the items. If you want totally free – do your homework.

Check out this website – Money Crashers – they have a list of nationwide clothing donation sites.

March – Towels

Donating to a local animal shelter is a good way to offload some of those not so needed towels. You know the ones you got for your wedding that don’t match your style or the 45 extra beach towels that you’ve accumulated over the years.

This is an ultimate list of things your local animal shelter always needs:

Towels – there is a lot of messes to clean up including bathing the pups
Bleach – again….lots of messes
Office supplies – paper, pens, batteries, folders, binders…you get the idea
Crates – small to large, including travel crates
Dog/Cat Food – lost a loved one and not sure what to do with the leftover food?
Cat litter – they use it for more than just the kitties
Old cleaning supplies – replacing your broom? Give the old one away.

Want to find a NO-KILL shelter to donate to? Check out Best Friends for all the shelters in your area.

***Update – obviously 2020 has become a WAY bigger challenge to most of us than we could have seen when starting this Challenge 2020 – 12 Months of Giving. I did not follow through on several of these months because of this pandemic. BUT – maybe that should be the bigger reason to continue this challenge!!!****

April – Books

I know, I know…..how many of you read physical books these days? I know I don’t very often. BUT – there is nothing like having a book on the beach….and I DO live at the beach…so I have some. I’m sure if you thought about it, you do too, especially to continue our Challenge 2020 – 12 months of giving.

And then there is the kids……have books they don’t read anymore? Too young for the growing kids? Give them away!

Sure you can give them to your friend’s kids….I know I loved when people gave me books for my kiddos. But there are other options too.

Check out these places to see if they would like your books:

Local Family Outreach – If you Google “family outreach in my area,” a lot of options will pop up. These are the type of places that can also point you in the direction of local shelters or foster homes.
Operation Paperback – Paperback books for our troops to read while fighting to defend our FREEDOM! This is a little tricky – you might have to sign up to send the books yourself. But think of the difference it will make to those soldiers!
Books to Prisoners – While the criteria is very specific, it is a great way to assist those in need. Plus they will take reference books that other places won’t.
Vietnam Veterans of America – Through their Pick Up Please site, you can donate all sorts of things to our Veterans. Clothing, books, toys….if there isn’t a pick up option in your area –
Local daycare centers and after school programs – Check with your favorite place to see if they have a need or accept gently used books.

May and December – Toys

In this house, we have short attention spans. Meaning – lots of toys we “have to have” for Christmas end up being dust collectors by Spring. So…twice a year I go through bedrooms and the toy/playroom and find a bunch of things that my kids have outgrown. Instead of giving them to Goodwill……are there places that could use them….for free?

Local Family Outreach – Again, just Google this and you will find what you need.
Daycare centers and after school programs – Check with them first.
Ronald McDonald House – Since this is a place for the entire family to stay during hospitalizations, there are frequently small children living in these homes. They will take toys and books to help keep siblings entertained while they are staying there.
Turnaround Toys – Call or email them to see how you can donate to their amazing concept.

June – Dishes

I know that plates and bowls are not replaced every year, but if you have 5 pie plates? Do you really need them ALL? Or maybe you bought the newest Pampered Chef – if you have that one….why do you need another?

Habitat for Humanity ReStore – Habitat has stores around the country that offer gently used home goods for less than normal prices.
Goodwill – this is the kind of thing that you should give to Goodwill.
Vietnam Veterans of America – Through their Pick Up Please site, you can donate all sorts of things to our Veterans and their families.

July – Personal Hygiene

I have this co-worker that takes every hotel shampoo and soap, every time she goes anywhere. She donates those items to our homeless population. AND let me tell you, they are SUPER grateful for those items.

How many of you go on trips and bring your own personal care items? I know I do…except maybe body soap. So, is it wrong to take the shampoo and bring it back to our homeless? I don’t think so.

So where can you donate personal care items?

Let’s check it out:

Homeless Shelters – Homeless folks appreciate things like soap, toothpaste, shampoo, socks, etc….check out this site to find a shelter near you.
Women’s Shelters – Some of these women (and children) left their homes with the clothes on their backs AND THAT IS IT. They are in need of any and everything you can think of giving. Check out this site to see how you can donate. **Remember most of these places are confidential locations so respect people’s privacy and call first!

September – Home Decor

If you can’t find a way to upcycle your furniture for yourself or someone close to you, consider donating it. Of course, pillows and appliances certainly apply as well.

Make sure you call before you haul appliances though, some places will NOT take appliances. Here are some ideas to get you started:

Habitat for Humanity ReStore – They have a large warehouse that offers furniture, extra building supplies (so if you have 2 extra boxes of tiles from your bathroom redo, think about donating to ReStore).
Goodwill – Many of us know that this is also a great place to SHOP for furniture.
Salvation Army – While I disagree with some of the things that this organization does, or more specifically doesn’t do, they are good at this part. So if you have no where else to go, the Salvation Army will take your donations and resell them in their thrift stores.

October – Warm Jackets and Blankets

I picked this month to go through your jackets and blankets because it isn’t quite panic time in many parts of the country. We know that it will get VERY cold, VERY quickly. Going through your closets (and the kids’) to find jackets and blankets BEFORE there is a huge need makes more sense…to me anyway!

Jackets are usually used for one season in this house. The kids grow so much from one winter to the next. And honestly, the jackets are kept in pretty good shape. I always offer them to friends first. But I’ve found that the older I get, the more I notice the kids at school getting out of the car with NO jackets!!!!

Therefore, here is my list for giving jackets (I’ll get to blankets in a minute):

Local Schools – Many of them hold drives during this time. If you aren’t sure…call the school, ask the principal or nurse; if they don’t accept your donations, they can tell you who will.
Family Outreach Centers – These folks will take your donations or direct you to someone that will accept them.
Burlington (used to be Burlington Coat Factory) – Each year, they hold a coat drive at their stores. You give a coat and get 10% off your purchase. Of course, your purchase is NOT necessary.
J. Crew – This is limited to Thanksgiving to Christmas seasons, but most J. Crew stores will give you $25 off an item with your donation. The coat then goes to One Warm Coat. Of course, you can donate to One Warm Coat directly, if you live in an area they operate.

Ok, now let’s talk about blankets – so many people need blankets.

There are the usual places – homeless shelters. In general, just find a homeless person and give them a blanket. They aren’t going to turn it down.

But there are some places you may not know need them:

Animal shelters
Senior centers
Adult day cares
Red Cross
Schools
Project Linus

The bottom line is – don’t throw away those “less than” perfect blankets. Don’t give them to Goodwill – Give them away for FREE to people who shouldn’t have to PAY for them. Catch my drift????

Finish the year strong – November and December – Food and Toys/Books

Like we did the previous months of our Challenge 2020 – 12 months of giving, keep in mind that these are the months that families are struggling to keep the lights on while figuring out how to play Santa. I read an article that said the Marine Corps’ Toys for Tots campaign will take “gently used” toys. They give them away in a different way than the “new, unwrapped” toys.

How do you feel about this challenge? Can you do it? Something specific each month of the year, declutter your home and help someone in need…..sounds easy….right? Let’s do it!!!! Let me know what your ideas are!!!!

Happy Giving,