I've been volunteering in homeless shelter/rescue/halfway houses, and I thought that I'd share with you some of the things that would be greatly appreciated if you wished to donate- at any time of the year!
~ Pickles! Pickles are fun, and they aid digestion. It's one thing that everyone misses, and no one donates, because it's not a "staple". Just be sure to bring enough they can actually be served.
~ Salsa, hot sauces, BBQ sauce! Just like in a home setting it jazzes up "boring" food...LOL!
~ Eggs, raw.... =)
~ Flavored Creamer, and Half & Half for coffee....comfort when you can't go home.
~ Home-baked treats. Lots of places get donations from local grocery stores, but everyone goes crazy for home-baked!
~ Vitamins like: Vit. C & Magnesium
~ Lotion! Especially NEUTRAL scents that men & women can both enjoy. What sizes? Large pumps for common areas as well as non-pumps in "smaller" more personal sizes.
~Lip balm (for guys and girls), small packs of Wipes, pocket Tissue packs.
~ Good or decent quality nail clippers, tweezers.
~ NAIL BRUSHES! And buffers/files.
~ Hair Brushes & Picks & good combs. (you know not just the "10-for-a-dollar" kind)
~ Dental floss.
~ Body wash- I would say bar soap while most often donated is rarely used, because folks do not have a good place or way to keep bar soap. Again: especially NEUTRAL scents that men & women can both enjoy.
~ Under things. New/gently used, and in all sizes. Don't just bring piles of socks...ask the shelter what they need. Also, consider something like an "Angel Tree"/adopt a sister or brother kind of thing: ask if anyone there (especially a female guest) what they need, and what size--you can make someone's month or even year!
~ Depend type products.
~ Laundry soaps. Guests who wash off-site like Powder or Pods. (stain removing products too)
~ Sewing kits. Safety pins- especially LARGE sturdy quilting size. (to easily take up clothes)
~ Cross-body bags & backpacks in a variety of sizes.
~ Note pads & post-its.
~ Card games.
~ Sometimes even a TV would be appreciated. (but you should ask first...)
~ Colored pencils and grown-up friendly coloring books are enjoyed too...
Fall/Winter donations?
~ Warm coats for men and women...especially for the folks who walk to work.
Listen to Peter, Paul & Mary's 
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Did you know this bit of info about the show's theme song? (found here)
We started our day with a big brunch- 2 kinds of thick cut Homemade Bacon...
...and as many Oatmeal Pancakes, butter & maple syrup as one could hold! (I was a pretty good girl, I did not eat pancakes- I had quiche, bacon & peach smoothy!)
Then, before Benjamin left, he gave rides around the back yard!
After that, we took (well, okay Joshua drove) Joshua over to Papa & Grandma's house, so they could take him the rest of the way over to Cleburne (for "wrap duty"). And Grandma wanted a photo...this really was the best out of 9. =)
In looking for a park in Cedar Hill (we did not find one), we saw this cute green house!
We did find a park "Boulder Park" in South Dallas (across from the airport on hwy 67), where we happily took A LOT of photos, and had my Birthday Picnic! The only problem with it was it was a bike park, so we could not use the trails, and there were no facilities....so we ate quick! =) (Can you see the water spigot in the tree? Somebody has a sense of humor!)
Silly Girls!
We had homemade Kombucha tea, little pickles from Costco, "Kettle Chips" also from Costco, (some people had cream crackers, too) and Mom made homemade chicken salad (organic, free range chicken breasts from Rehoboth Ranch - celery, Pink Lady apples and green onions from our garden (all were organic) tossed with homemade mayo made fresh that morning and topped with almond slices that were toasted in butter! It was good! =)
My Pa & Ma.
We prefer to eat any kind of salad, you know, tuna, egg, chicken, etc... on potato chips. =)
Feet in the dirt, under the picnic table! (This was a very clean park!)
Look what we saw in Dallas, on I30, on our way home today (around the Gus Thomason exit)! Someone wrote in the dust of this 18 wheeler: Ron Paul ...I kid you not! I wondered if it was a passer by, or the driver himself... =)
As people arrived, we decorated lunch sacks to collect our goodies in! That was fun!
~Partners in crime. Thank you girls for helping out with the younger ones! ~
"Mimi" (Mrs. Bee) explaining to K how to "lick & stick" the old-fashioned stickers I had...K was like "she's out of her mind...this tastes nasty!"
It was a cute lesson...I almost said like licking stamps. Duh, Adrienne! What color is you hair? This is a 4 year old you are talking to! =)
I just wish that I was "with it" enough to have taken photos of everyone with their finished bag! =( At least we got pictures of 3 of us! =)
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Right after Kelli came in and greeted & hugged me, she said "My your hair is getting redder, isn't it?!" I said, "Yes, redder and frizzier in my old age!" =)
We want to thank you all so much for coming and making such a pleasant party!
This lovely photo of Jessica & Mom is the only one taken during the actual tea party... I did not get any pictures of the food either. =(
