Donations for Charities

Each year our local schools have different “donation drives” for the holiday season. The elementary schools generally focus on toys, hats and mittens, the middles focuses on items for the kids in their age group and the food shelf, and the high school has a handful of drives, including items for teens, coats, hats, mittens, blankets and food. I bow my head to these kids and their families for the hard work they do to help our community. Here are some great ideas for making your donation this year.

First, choose a charity or two that interest you. Find out what they need. Toys for Tots is sponsored by the US Marine Corps and serves the entire country. Many charities will be looking for used winter coats. Food Shelves all over the country need food, not just right now, but throughout the year. You also might want to consider donating your time at a local shelter, serving a meal or just stopping in to have a cup of coffee with someone who needs to talk.

Here are some ideas for giving to different charity drives around your area.

Toy drives at the elementary school. These drives are generally geared for the elementary school aged child. Their age range from 5 – 12. Choosing age appropriate toys for this age group is important. Consider what a child might want and what a child might need. I usually make up a gift pack. I’ll include a deck of cards, a card game like Uno, books, pencils, crayons, a toothbrush and kids toothpaste. I try not to be gender specific for this age group.

Middle School drives are often geared toward the 12 -14 age group. Again, I’ll make up packages with pencils, pens, notebooks, toothbrush, toothpaste, deodorant and a neutral body wash. I may also donate gender specific products, for example, a curling iron for girl.

High School drives generally focus on food, gently used clothing, and teenage items. Again, using the package idea, I’ll include the same type of items I would for the middle school but I will make it gender specific. For the girls, I might include a few products from Bath and Body Works, nail polish, emery boards, for the boys, I might include products from the Axe Line. These are products that many kids can’t just go out and purchase. A bit of pampering products is perfect for a teen girl. I will also donate pencils, pens and notebooks. If they are doing a clothing drive, I will donate good used hoodies, jeans, and sweaters.

Hat and Mitten drives are pretty straight forward. Purchasing warm hats, gloves and mittens are important. The cheap $1.99 mittens are not going to keep little fingers warm while waiting for the bus. Think of the child when purchasing your donation.

Coat drives are very popular her in the upper mid-west. Temperatures can drop to -30 in the winter; add in a -10 wind chill and its damn cold! Gently used coats are a great donation. My kids outgrow their coats every year. I make sure they are washed prior to donation and in good condition. I make sure the zippers are fully functional and all buttons are in tact.

Blanket donation drives are relatively new here. You can purchase a relatively inexpensive good fleece blanket at Target or Walmart. Another option is making a tie-fleece blanket from hand. They are easy to make and you can find fun fleece fabrics at local fabric stores – you can make this a family project!

Food drives are extremely important. I suggest that you buy items that are as nutritious as possible. Boxed items such as oatmeal, cereal, hamburger helper, tuna helper, noodles, mac and cheese and taco shells have a long shelf life. Canned items such as fruit in natural juices, tuna, beans, hearty soups, spaghetti sauce and vegetables are good ideas.

Christmas isn’t the only time for giving, there are people all over the US and world who need food and clothing year round. Donations to Charities can make you feel good and I can assure you the person on the recieving end is gratefull for your donations.