What did you donate this week?

[hotcouponmama]

Thought this would be nice in the stockpile section as a Sticky thread to see how people are giving to others and what types of stuff you were able to give.




We have a little food pantry in our community that just recently opened up. I swear I had more in my garage than they had in the dry storage area of this place, and no HABA to speak of.

They had a nice assortment of some deli/breads/pastries from one of the local market places. So I took my oldest with me, and we did a large Uhaul type box filled with razor, toothpaste and brushes, lots of food, deodorant, shave cream, etc.

They were beyond shocked, and now that I know that it's there, we'll be going more often. I was going to one further away, but it's nice to help people right in my own town.

[wookin]

WOW, good for you. I didn't donate any stiff this week, but I did donate 2-1/2 hrs of my time sorting at a food pantry. I try to go every week, but sometimes life gets in the way. I usually donate around $2,500 to that pantry and about $1000 other places each year in food and cleaning products and HBA stuff.

[Mikki 316]

HBA stuff (and misc. toys from DS) to a local battered women's shelter; some more Boost Glucose Control 6 packs to a nursing home; dinner for a local family with 8 children; taught some young single moms how to plan their weekly menus, shopping list and how to use coupons to stretch their EBT/food stamp benefits, along with some nutrition planning and gave them some coupons to get started; oh, almost forgot, sent out several RAOKs and just finished a RAOK on HCW for 10 KMart $10 Duracell/P&G coupons, which will go out tomorrow if I get the winner's address before the mail runs. Not a bad week after all, huh?

[hotcouponmama]

WOW, good for you. I didn't donate any stiff this week, but I did donate 2-1/2 hrs of my time sorting at a food pantry. I try to go every week, but sometimes life gets in the way. I usually donate around $2,500 to that pantry and about $1000 other places each year in food and cleaning products and HBA stuff.

Well, time is as important as stuff, so good on you to get out there and do the sorting cause that's almost even harder to get volunteers for.

[SummerAnne]

I'm just getting started stockpiling, so right now I'm just helping out my mom. She's unable to work since having a heart attack (can't stand OR sit to long without her legs starting to go numb) she cleans & cooks in exchange for room & board at a friend of her sisters home. She can't really get around either because her truck needs repairs (DH is working on diagnosing the problem in his spare time).

I've already given her some toothpaste... Her favorite shampoo is Infusium23 so I'm doing the CVS deal for her this week. It's not much but I'm doing what I can with what I have so far!

[hotcouponmama]

I'm just getting started stockpiling, so right now I'm just helping out my mom. She's unable to work since having a heart attack (can't stand OR sit to long without her legs starting to go numb) she cleans & cooks in exchange for room & board at a friend of her sisters home. She can't really get around either because her truck needs repairs (DH is working on diagnosing the problem in his spare time).

I've already given her some toothpaste... Her favorite shampoo is Infusium23 so I'm doing the CVS deal for her this week. It's not much but I'm doing what I can with what I have so far!

Helping folks close to home is just as important as helping strangers. Help starts at home first.

[queenofthehivemomof5]

My kids and I just did a drop of some .09 school supplies to a place here that puts together backpacks of school supplies to needy kids.

[Earthartisan]

I'm just getting started stockpiling, so right now I'm just helping out my mom. She's unable to work since having a heart attack (can't stand OR sit to long without her legs starting to go numb) she cleans & cooks in exchange for room & board at a friend of her sisters home. She can't really get around either because her truck needs repairs (DH is working on diagnosing the problem in his spare time).

I've already given her some toothpaste... Her favorite shampoo is Infusium23 so I'm doing the CVS deal for her this week. It's not much but I'm doing what I can with what I have so far!

Yeah I am just starting out... day 3 to be exact. I went to Walgreens and bought tons of shampoo, conditioner, and toothpaste. As I showed all my loot off to my mom, I went ahead and gave her a bunch too! So much fun!

[spadesbouncer]

well i alway give half of everything to my mom..My dad is disabled and can't work and they live off a disibility income.also gave all the makup from the "basket" to my sister who is 15 and still lives at home..So yes charity starts at home...LOL...Poor is poor no matter if they are family...

Also i know my other sister will not have the money to do a good b-day cake for the boys and so i gave her the scooby doo and other cake deco's and icing , candles ,etc for a b-day party...


My aunt called and said my Distant cousin had a baby and lost her job plus she has MS and i sent a big box of baby soap and wipes...

and also one other girl whose hubby is injail for domestic abuse and she had a ittle baby..so she go the same as cousin..This jack ass (the hubby)
just happens
to be my other cousin... Go figure.. EVEN his mother won't talk to him...LOL..

All of these are related or friends of the family..
Not much i know but we don't really have a donation place here.. That is why the grocery store lets me buy all the clearance stuff.. we have one place but there you can only get help once every 6 months and you have to qualify and be looking for a job and be registered witht he work force...And they charge like 3.00 for a VERY used t-shirt...

[misse]

heard of a man who fell and hurt self because he was weak due to lack of food. disability cut back to $$$$$$$10.00 a MONTH. May be placed in nursing home but if not i am going to be dropping off care packages.

[Guera]

Nothing this week, yet, but I do need to make a run to the animal shelter and give them the free cat food from Dollar General that I got because I read the message on this board. I do not own a cat. As far as "human" items I usually wait until I have a carload full of stuff. I live in a VERY large area and we have SEVERAL places to donate to. My donation place of choice is a christian organization that helps people in our community and my church is one of their largest sponsors. In the past I have gone over there with a trunkload full of groceries and toiletries and it filled up two grocery carts full of stuff for them. They were blown away and thought that my daughters school had a food drive. Not so I told them it was all from our family and they were dumbfounded when I told them that the whole trunkload cost me less than $20. I have also donated over 50 diabetes monitor to them.

I buy 6 papers every week for coupons and a lot of the stuff I get is way more than my family of 4 (actually 3 now because my oldest daughter moved out on her own), can use. But I get almost all of the free and really cheap stuff anyway because I can give it to them. I don't even put the stuff in my stockpiles when I get it, I immediately bag it up and set it aside for them. This makes all of this shopping and clipping and filing worth it for me. I love to see their face when we drop off a lot of stuff to them.

[BostonRed]

I donated 2 banana boxes full of Quaker Oats to my local food bank before putting in 4 hours sorting food. I've volunteered there for the last 12 years, probably about once every two months.

[jennspen]

My husband and I are about to move so I took advantage of the perfect time to clean out. I gathered lots of Kotex, hair color, makeup, and soap to go to a local women's shelter!! I am a social worker so I get to help people for a living but it really feels good to do extra!!

[PHmom]

Thanks HCM, for starting this thread, it's so nice to see what everyone is doing to help their families, friends, and others in their community!

This is actually over the last 2 weeks:

Sent a box full of school supplies, coloring books, candy, toothbrushes and stuff to the soldiers running "Operation Crayon" - they give these to the Iraqi kids (Adopt-A-Platoon has info if anyone is interested)

Gave my sis (who's a single mom) a bunch of sodas and waters. Also bought a bunch of Pledge for her at HT triples (uses it for her cleaning business), she did repay me for the Pledge but it was a whole lot cheaper than she normally gets it. I've also gotten together 2 bags full of school supplies for my nephew who's starting college in a couple of weeks.

Sent 2 bags worth of Soy Joy and other bars as well as some other snacks to the clinic that a friend runs for low-income folks w/no health insurance, these are snacks for her volunteers, many of whom come to help out straight from work with no dinner.

Took 4 more bags of food to the donation box for the food bank (totals about 10 bags in the last two months)

[hbaqueen]

Not much donating this week but a few RAOK while oout an about..
Some baby stuff for a pregnant cashier at K-mart Ive talked with while shopping the deal this week and asked her if she would mind if I dropped her off some items she seemed excited, A little care package for my fave CVS worker , a box of Oreo cakesters for the entire staff working one night at CVS. Some free Kotex for my mom but the best gift I gav her was she used to get mad at me for doing coupons/stockpiling/cvsing and now she is doing it and realizing its not illegal! She and my dad are on a reallytight budget after he retired and they are not use to it yet so Im glad she will start getting more for her $.
Also gave one BIL some shave stuff and deo. and the other the heads up and the form on the kmart FOL tees since hed already bought 3 and didnt know anything about it.
My goal is to do one random act of kindness of some sort everyday. Even if its a teeny one.
Im so inspired by all of you who help out at shelters and elsewhere and look forward to being able to do that too.

[too-old-now]

I dropped off a lot of stuff this week, some of which I've had for a little while. I went to 4 food pantries and 2 soup kitchens, as well as two shelters.

~200 toothpaste
~150 deodorants
another 100 jars of relish
48 jars of mayonaisse
250 bottles of salad dressing
80 jars of BBQ sauce
30 boxes of Keebler fudge cookies
20 half-gallon boxes of ice cream
40 brownie mix
30 boxes or reynolds wrap
50 rolls of TP
40 rolls gladwrap
80 pkgs of bandaids
35 boxes of cereal

and a bunch of other little stuff

Thanks to everyone who is helping others

[BzyBee]

Oh, I hate to try to follow T-O-N!!! :wink068:

Bagged and ready to go....
40 packs of tp
12 spam
8 toothpaste
9 rice
6 BBQ sauce
6 ivory soap
5 Rotel tomatoes

I will have a bunch more for next week but ran out of time for rotating pantry and haven't really been shopping at all yet this week.

[wookin]

Last week was my time, this week was my time at a food pantry and donation to Ronald McDonald House, as well as stuff to WICS.

SUCCESS RICE 13
RELISH 9
LIPTON SIDES 12
POPCORN 1
MUSTARD 4
PASTA 2
IVORY SOAP 2
CHEF BOYARDEE 10
CEREAL 5
CEREAL 5
CEREAL 1
BABY FOOD ASST. 3
BROWNIE MIX 2
CAKE MIX 7
TOTAL VALUE TO RONALD MCDONALD $138.29


BLOOD MONITORS 5
MUFFIN MIX 6
TOTAL VALUE TO WICS ............................ ...$105.95

[derketchup]

Let's see....

Today the Salvation Army Food Pantry got:

14 3-packs of Ivory Soap
20 3-packs of Zest Soap
2 bottles of Old Spice Body Wash
20 mini packs of Always Pantiliners

(can you guess where I've been shopping? LOL)

Also some various shampoos and conditioners I had "stockpiled" before I learned HOW to stockpile... funny to think that I was paying FULL PRICE for crappy shampoo/conditioner where now I get the good stuff for cheap to free....

Oh, and a bag full of various food stuffs that I will never use:

1 box lucky charms that I bought for my brother who "desparately" needed it in Iraq because theirs ran out.... for two whole days! He called me 2 days later and said, "Oh, I don't need it anymore." *Giggle*

1 box of Quinoa I bought before I started couponing. (Seriously... wth is this stuff anyway??)

2 cans of green beans I am never going to eat

15 packages of Knorr-Lipton Spanish Rice that I discovered I don't like after I bought a bunch of them. Oh well at least this time I used coupons and did pretty well.

and 1 small tub of powder gatorade that I, again, bought for my brother in Iraq who was complaining that the PX didn't have orange gatorade.... and who later called me and complained that all they had WAS orange gatorade.... LOL

I can't wait until that knucklehead is back from Iraq....

[momof2boys]

Donated 6 One Touch Meters to the boys' elementary school nurse, along with a sack full of different headache medicines for the teachers to use. {First month of school in this heat can give you lots of headaches!}

I told the nurse I would get more if I could find them and send those in too. She said they needed meters as they had strips.

[MariaT]

I donated 10 boxes of cereal this morning to the local church that has a food pantry.

Shoprite is having triples again I see so let's see what I can scrounge up.

[misse]

i realized i bought shampoo for thin hair by mistake last week doing the p&g rr at wag. i made my widowed aunt a gift bag of 25oz bottles of shampoo. i try to help those i know first. it made me feel good because she told her daughter the only shampoo she had ever used was suave. (its a less expensive shampoo)

[mindymc73]

Lotion for my grandmother

Toiletries to a family that lost them in a fire

[SummerAnne]

Donated 6 One Touch Meters to the boys' elementary school nurse, along with a sack full of different headache medicines for the teachers to use. {First month of school in this heat can give you lots of headaches!}

I told the nurse I would get more if I could find them and send those in too. She said they needed meters as they had strips.

Great idea! I've been trying to think of a place to donate the meters I'm getting. I'll offer them up to the school nurse when I drop off DD's medicine at the beginning of school.

[aimeebee]

I donated my first stockpile stuff. My stockpile is still small. But, I gave to my aunt who has 3 college age boys. One is in Acquire the Fire (church youth group that travels the country) in Mexico right now. One is in Dallas in a bible college and the other is in Chicago taking a year off school and trying to do more acting. Anyway, all 3 are going to meet in Texas next week because one has a graduation ceremony. I sent them all toothpaste, shaving cream, deodorant and shampoo. I've only been doing this a short time, but my cupboards runneth over and they are broke college kids. A worthy cause IMO even if they are family.

[momof2boys]

Last week I donated 12 more meters, various brands, to the elementary school. Also donated some chewing gum to the ladies that work at the desk. I find it's good to keep them happy too. :smile:

[FantasyIsland]

I donated 10 glucometers to the fire dept EMT unit, 50 boxes of cereal to the food bank, and lots of ban deodorant - so happy to get rid of them! and I didn't even start shopping until Friday night!

[SummerAnne]

Well I was going to donate meters to DD's school, but lo and behold, not a single diabetic child in her school of 500. I'm taking one in to the nurse, she said she'd like to have one just in case... but that still leaves me with 11!

Supplied my mom some more with 2 razors, 2 boxes of Reynolds wrappers, & 2 boxes of Eggo Waffles.

[too-old-now]

Updates include more free stuff from A&P/Shaws

180 more toothpaste
250 more deodorants
another 100 jars of relish
240 more jars of mayonaisse
110 more bottles of salad dressing
160 bottles of marinade
65 more jars of BBQ sauce
120 more pkgs of bandaids
55 more boxes of cereal
120 Dole fruit (both jars and 4pk cups)
140 jars of jam/jelly
30 jars of peanut butter
60 boxes Dixie cups

from the big moneymaker deal from Shop Rite - 260 boxes of Excedrine 100 ct

And from CVS - 70 Quattro razors

[Mikki 316]

Donated some school supplies and uniforms to an area family and school; HBA and household stuff to a family who lost their home in a fire. Not too busy here, but every little bit counts!

[hotcouponmama]

No doubt about it - TON is the donation king!

There was a blip in the local paper today about being summer, and don't forget to donate, etc. Good reminder for me, and I was putting up groceries today so we loaded up the back of the pickup.

15 bottles of Juicy Juice
30+ deodorants
Razors
Girl stuff
5 bags of cereal
3 boxes of oatmeal
a bunch of spice mixes
toothpaste
dried fruit
granola bars
beans
mashed potatoes
rice mixes
24 bottles of lawry's marinade
20 bottles of Kens salad dressing
Stuffing mixes

and a handful of other things.

But then I knew I was going out of town this weekend and I had 70 coupons for Gum toothbrushes and they are 10/10 this week, so I explained to them how to use them and what the deal was and they said they'd get them used. Unfortunately, they can't get into the state food distribution system until they have been up and running with 6 solid months of demonstrated, trackable need, which I don't think they were doing when they first opened. So needless to say, they were pretty thrilled. If I could ever get up and going on clipping my inserts and doing some shopping, I think I could spend the entire fall just gathering up free stuff for them.

[SummerAnne]

Sent DD to school with several packages of the Bic pens that were free after $1/2 coupon, got a very grateful note back from her teacher.

[turtlesaver]

i just sent 12 cbg moniters to the health dept with our midwives. i sent about 12 last week also. gave 25 cans of dogfood to a friend with several dogs and 2 litters of pups.

[misse]

sent red bic pens to my job. we have to have them but for some reason they are not supplied.
to my sons daycare i sent smuckers grape jelly x4, bic pens x6, ketchup x6, mustard x6, wite out x2.

[mama22qts]

5 boxes of Quaker Oatmeal, 20 or so little boxes of cereal, 4 boxes of fruit snacks all went to our church food pantry.

[too-old-now]

Nobody donated anything this week?

I gave blood.

[proudtxmomof3]

I donated to a very needy Mother of 3 today. Anomously. I donated all kinds of stuff Tide, Clorox bleach, bounce, toothbrushes, toothpaste, razor, deoderant, cereals, goldfish crackers, cake mixes, pancake mixes, syrup, pb&j, puddings, pastas, augrautin potatoes, foils, ziploc bags, sugar, koolaid, sphagetti, sauce, I can't think of everything but that is a protion of what I donated!!! Hope she enjoys it... she was working when I dropped it off to her house. :BigHand:

[Mikki 316]

Iams Cat food to the local shelter. I was able to use all my Iams Qs at DG today!

[SummerAnne]

I took a couple of paper bags full of my freebie magazines to school for when the kids need to cut pictures out for projects. DH filled the bags then I had to go back through and filter out the Stuff & Maxim style magazines. :whistle: Oh well, it's the thought that counts right? Glad I thought to check them!

[derketchup]

I donated 36 boxes of hair color to the YWCA :biggrin:

I also donated 6 conditioners, 4 lip glosses, 5 mascaras, and 3 tubes of foundation I will never use.

[MrsPinecone]

I donated 40 4pks of pudding and 5 tubs of applesauce to the church for Sunday School snacks.

[wendypsaves]

Heading to the mission tomorrow with 14 boxes of hair color and a one touch monitor. I go every two weeks, or so, since I've started couponing.

[flash]

12 bags dog food to the shelter
27 bags food and HBA to women's shelter and families in need program
and...a horse, 17 hands, excellent condition :)

[goldenscents]

I am donating all my free items I do not use to my church

[wannabefree]

Wow!!! You guys sure have ME beat but just today I stopped off at a lady's house who has lost several family members since February and now has had a heart attack herself. (she's young too) I took her the Bryan lunch meats, the Butterball lunch meats, the microwaveable Mac and Cheese, Bounty Paper towels and a few other goodies. It IS so nice to be able to do this!

What a blessing to have learned how to get more for my money!

Thanks guys,

Janet

[Mikki 316]

I think one of the best things about stockpiling is being able to give to others in need. I got a request for pantry items on our local Freecycle group, for a single mom. It's such a blessing to have things to be able to help people who are in need. Before I found HCW, I certainly didn't have things like this and felt awkward giving money, that seems really impersonal to me. But today, I have a big care package to give to the poster, who is collecting for another person. She'll get lots of cereal, spaghetti sauce, pasta, HBA items, two cases of soup, laundry detergent. I honestly don't even know what all I put in that box! But I wanted to thank all of you who inspired me to seek out these great deals and save lots of money on my new stockpile. Giving is truly better than receiving!

[enginerd]

I took a couple of paper bags full of my freebie magazines to school for when the kids need to cut pictures out for projects. DH filled the bags then I had to go back through and filter out the Stuff & Maxim style magazines. :whistle: Oh well, it's the thought that counts right? Glad I thought to check them!

:hysterical: - I hate these free Maxim, etc. magazines that DH gets - this is one freebie I didn't sign up for - can't wait for the subscription to run out. It is embarrassing that it is even in my mailbox or in my home.

I donated a bunch of wipes to the school last week.

[too-old-now]

Bring the Stuff and Maxim magazines, etc. to your local VFW - someone there will know how to get them to the troops overseas, and ANY reading material is very much appreciated.

[flash]

hospitals and mental health programs really appreciate magazines too! And even old ones can be used for craft projects in occupational therapy, art therapy, etc.

[nrpeace17]

(50) mini boxes of cereal
(12) packages of Kool-Aid Gels
(12) pacakges of Handi-Snacks Pudding

Donated to a local food pantry

[pwetypweas]

120 pairs of new boys and girls undies
60 tubes of Crest
1 10 gallon tub of French's mustard
200 cans of Spaghettios
Baby wipes (don't know how many packs?)
packages of balloons!
Some packs of raisins (quantity?)
1/2 case of granola bars
40 cans of soup
A bunch of coupons so they can get more spaghettios and soup (told them how to do the deal at Krogers)
couple bags of misc HBA and household stuff

[Allison7280]

Wow - you all are very inspiring!

Honestly, I love giving things to people so I can't wait to join in. I've just started and only have a very teeny tiny small stockpile going now, but I have a feeling it'll get much bigger.

I just moved here though and I really have no idea on who to donate to.

I would love to be able to donate every week.

[pwetypweas]

Hi Allison - check your phone book for food banks, homeless advocacy centers, women shelters, etc - check with local churches for food pantries - even Goodwill or the Salvation Army can generally point you in the right direction for making donations :)

And they don't have to be big - every little bit helps!

[theartsymom]

toothpaste- a great start for a newbie!

[Mikki 316]

We also gave LOTS of soup to a couple of neighbors. I guess when you're carrying in several flats of soup at a time, they start to get suspicious. :hysterical: So, after telling them how to get in on the deals and none of them having coupons, I ended up giving my last two rounds of soup away. Good thing, I guess, DH would have a fit if I brought more in this house! :biggrin:

[diva_dynamite]

Yesterday, I took in 35 lbs of toothpaste, shampoo, razors from my stockpile to my food bank. I got 10 more free boxes of cereal at Albertson's before the sale ran out, and will take those there, too. They were really happy to see the HBA stuff.
Great idea on taking the monitors to a school nurse. I wasn't sure what to do with them.

[amti]

I am rebuilding my stockpile since I was out of country for over two months and dh ate most of what was left. Therefore, very little has been donated from my stockpile other than a few things I have given to neighbors. I did donate a lot of kids' clothes and stuff though and have another two bags full for the Salvation Army.

[JessicaCoen]

So far 3 trash bags full of childrens fall/winter clothes. 4 bottles of dish soap. 4 bottles hand soap. 2 pks. toothpaste, and some Dish washer soap. I think thats about it for today. I know i have some other stuff. Just been cleaning out the closets. :smile:

[love2save]

28 Shave gels
10 Shampoos
10 conditioners
10 Deoderants
14 Toothpastes
6 Toothbrushes
2 Razors
6 Pantyliners
4 Tampons
3 Laundry dryer sheets
16 Bars of soap

I called the local homeless shelter but they didn't want HBA stuff, just small appliances. Dont these people need personal items too? The Red cross was able to accept my donation & all these items went to the local Red Cross to help fire victims & to be ready if a disaster strikes. They were Very appreciative! :BigHand:

[greenfrog57]

Last week, I sent a dozen boxes of pantiliners back to LA with mom for her women's shelter collections.
I also brought 10 bags of cheddar bugles, 5 bags Quaker baked snacks, and about 150 individual granola bars to the local food bank. I received a nice thank you in the mail 2 days later!

[Wicapgrl]

Last Saturday was my wedding day. My 4 DD's were here and were given a big assortment from my stockpile.

The Family Resource Center gives out items to low income families and singles. I took them 15 boxes of haircolor from the Revlon deal, 6 crest tp from the p&g deal, 4-12 pks of razors, 3 cans of skintimate shave gel, 12
assorted men's and women's deodorant, 12 bottles of shampoo (Pantene,
Vive Pro, Infusium), 6 bottles of conditioner-assorted, 6-6pks of Theragram-m shake today.

It's great to be able to give! :BigHand:

[misse]

sorting thru kids clothes for fall and giving to two neighbor boys. they LOVE hand me downs. gave bic pens, and other school supplies to daycare. used cats for milk and donated.

[derketchup]

Today I donated:

6 gallons of milk
6 dozen eggs
30 containers of oats
30 boxes of Post Shredded Wheat
20 boxes of various Quaker goods (breakfast cookies, multigrain stuff, etc)

[theartsymom]

Toothpaste (more)
Assorted baby lotion, soap, shampoos and powder.

[kittensqueak]

Last week I send the Health Care for the Homeless:

25 Toothpaste
25 Deodorants
5 Lotions
2 Bulk Razor Packs

[kdownie]

(think CVS BF and others) Lotion, bodywash, razors, zipper bags, toothpaste, various pain meds. Probably other stuff, but I can't think of it right now.

[tacatcon]

My SO's work was doing a food drive for the shelters in the area so he asked me if I had anything he could bring in. I was like "are you serious? have you seen the cabinets lately?" I was used to my son's school doing a Thanksgiving drive and they didn't do one so I had a lot of food ready to go for that which now found a good home.

Nothing like what some of you have donated I'm sure but I sent him in with

5 boxes of cereal
3 canisters of Quaker Oats
10 cans of soup
10 cans of tomato sauce
4 or 5 2-packs of baby food that we had leftover
10 cans of beans
Big Box of Tea Bags

I think some other stuff too but it's not coming to me right now. He said I more than doubled what they had collected so far (cheapskates over there!). So that made me feel good at least.

[jkmur827]

Yeah, I've been helping my mom out some too. She's like - you just have this stuff - but why? I gave her another ultra 2 monitor in case hers goes on the blink she won't be out (and neither was I - thanks to rebates). I gave her some toothpaste, mouthwash, makeup, and samples of things I thought she'd appreciate. She used to fill my Christmas stocking with makeup and samples that she saved - and I loved it. I told her I'm just giving back like I remembered she did for me. (I'm adopted - been with her since I was 15 and so she's very important to me.)

And my sister (also adopted - different biological family) is always in need so I've given her diapers, baby formula, baby food, food and drinks - she really has it rough. This week she will be at mom's while she gets a few teeth pulled so mom can watch the baby for her - so I stocked mom's house with stuff I know my sister likes as a surprise for her. Her budget doesn't really make it easy for her to have convenience food and soda.


I'm just getting started stockpiling, so right now I'm just helping out my mom. She's unable to work since having a heart attack (can't stand OR sit to long without her legs starting to go numb) she cleans & cooks in exchange for room & board at a friend of her sisters home. She can't really get around either because her truck needs repairs (DH is working on diagnosing the problem in his spare time).

I've already given her some toothpaste... Her favorite shampoo is Infusium23 so I'm doing the CVS deal for her this week. It's not much but I'm doing what I can with what I have so far!

[JessicaCoen]

I didn't really donate to the shelters or anything like that, but i did donate a crib mattress to a lady in need!

[Buc-O-Mama]

Our church's students are collecting bags of toiletries for a mission working with migrant children in Central Florida. We assembled 6 bags this week each containing: toothbrush and toothpaste, deoderant, shampoo, bar soap, comb and washcloth. My little stockpile of some of the items made it easier to give. After the ads/coupons this week, we might be able to get more bags together before the Wednesday deadline.

[purplefdu]

This weekend we will be clearing out the cat food/dog food we have been collecting and saving (DH announced yesterday the local shelter is having a rabies clinic so today is good choice). So we will be loading the car with about 20 bags of food and a couple collars/leashes the pup has outgrown. I'm gonna miss my free petfood stockpile :(

[Dhunny318]

I gave a great big box of freebies to 3 friends that are young professionals struggling. It included about 10 tubes of toothpastes, 5 toothbrushes, cooking oil, popcorn, kotex pads, always pads, body wash, mascara, eye shadow, salad dressings and some other things that I can't remember lol. They were so appreciative and we still have plenty left!

[kmickeyd]

We saw an ad for our humane society, and finally got down there today - gave lots of Softsoap from CVS deals a few months ago, the free pet stuff we get that our dog won't/can't use, and lots and lots of dish soap. I'm almost out of paper towels (how did THAT happen?), otherwise those would have gone, too.

Although it always makes me sad to go in there...we want to take them all home. :frown:

[skw6559]

Toothpaste to church and have about 30 bags of cat food ready to go to the shelter.

[brokenchina]

I'm taking 12 boxes of Honey Nut Cheerios to my inlaws along with 6 boxes of Nature Valley Granola bars. I'm working on building a stockpile for them now that mine is in maintenance only mode. Just this morning on the local news I heard about a proposed truckers strike to start April 1. I'm concerned about something of this nature happening nationally and it's important to me that my extended family be as prepared as possible for anything of that sort. For the time being, all of my excess goes to my inlaw's basement until I have them fully stocked. After that, I'll start taking excess then neither of us need back to the food pantry.

[too-old-now]

Another minivan full of cereal - This was my 4th trip in the past 2 weeks, since I've been clearing the shelves of the moneymaking cereal deals. The boxes were bigger this time, so there were only 360 of them. Some of the other trips had over 400 boxes. It's hard to fit that many boxes in all at once.

[trott]

Peanut Butter- a student at school is trying to collect 1000 lbs of PB for the Food Bank

[Dhunny318]

Got a distress call from Aunt today(other aunt and another cousin moved back into the house) so i'm going to go up to their house on saturday and give her:

4 bags of cat food
2 bottles of laundry detergent
2 bottles of dish detergent
2 packs of razors
2 speed stick deo
1 pack of feminine pads
3 toothbrushes
4 toothpastes
1 box of aleve
1 box CVS pain reliever
5 cans of air freshener(they use alot of these)
2 packs of dish sponges
1 box of frozen waffles
3 bags of lenders bagels
2 boxes of cereal

I'm also going to make some brownie cupcakes for my cousin's birthday(it was yesterday) and a double batch of my mexican corn soup so she won't have to worry about make one meal during the week. The best part is that i'll have an excuse to get more free stuff lol.

[dreis1]

I usually donate HBA & boxed stuff once the stash builds up... Baby items to Crisis Pregnancy Center

Question??? Do you claim the value of the donated items for tax purposes? I do but I keep records & receipts. Here's why, although the cash out of pocket is free or close to it... the time it takes to clip, plan, shop & drop adds up to alot.

So that my take, anyone else?

[ILv2Shop]

How do you post a pic? Never done it on here so was wondering. I took a pic of my donation pile (nothing like you guys but still it was my first mini haul)

[too-old-now]

Here's what we sent to the troops this week - it had been a little while since we sent them personal care items and we'd gotten requests.

240 containers toothpaste - the little bottle ones are sturdier than the tubes, and can fit in a pocket and be carried.

220 Mitchum deodorant - 180 men's and 40 women's

130 3pk Mach 3 disposable razors

60 women's color-treated hair shampoo (again, special request, a high percentage of the female troops overseas have color-treated hair, and this product doesn't seem to exist there.

190 pantene trial size shampoo/conditioner

200 Dove/Olay moisturizing soap - only a fraction of what I have

40 pkgs beef jerky
60 jars (plastic) dry roasted peanuts
30 3-pk chewing gum
180 pkgs (6) peanut butter crackers
20 bags m&m peanut

3 digital cameras, 6 memory cards
10 international phone cards - $20 each

Approximately 40 small stuffed animals - Easter clearanced. The troops give these to the local Iraqi children

[MablesTable]

Sent 40 toothbrushes and 40 toothpaste over seas to my friend in Iraqi.
(So he could share of course)

I need to go through our stockpile and pack up a couple of bags of items to give
to a recent widowed friend. She is really down on her luck lately.

[afwife8405]

Donated four boxes/bags of clothing (mostly baby) to the Goodwill today. Tomorrow, I am donating a box of towels, bleach and dog biscuits to Animal Services. Later this week, I am dropping off a large and heavy box of toiletries and diapers to the Salvation Army.

[extechy]

Nothing so far.

But over the next couple days, I'm donating to the women's shelter and America's Thrift Stores. I'm going to check out a lead at the VA, too.

[Mothernature]

I donated 5 tubes of Crest Pro-health, a handful of smaller forks, and 4 men's deodorants last week.

[CurlyGirl]

Here's what we sent to the troops this week - it had been a little while since we sent them personal care items and we'd gotten requests.

240 containers toothpaste - the little bottle ones are sturdier than the tubes, and can fit in a pocket and be carried.

220 Mitchum deodorant - 180 men's and 40 women's

130 3pk Mach 3 disposable razors

60 women's color-treated hair shampoo (again, special request, a high percentage of the female troops overseas have color-treated hair, and this product doesn't seem to exist there.

190 pantene trial size shampoo/conditioner

200 Dove/Olay moisturizing soap - only a fraction of what I have

40 pkgs beef jerky
60 jars (plastic) dry roasted peanuts
30 3-pk chewing gum
180 pkgs (6) peanut butter crackers
20 bags m&m peanut

3 digital cameras, 6 memory cards
10 international phone cards - $20 each

Approximately 40 small stuffed animals - Easter clearanced. The troops give these to the local Iraqi children
Thats great!!!!

I would like to donate some items. If you don't mind me asking..How much does it cost to send a good size box?

[too-old-now]

Thats great!!!!

I would like to donate some items. If you don't mind me asking..How much does it cost to send a good size box?

It's hard for me to admit I'm not good at anything - but I will admit here. I just drop off the piles at my local VFW, as they are really good at packing the boxes to get the most into them, and getting them to the right places.

There are usually a few folks at the local VFW who can tell you where the men and women from your area are serving, and what they have been asking for.

I don't bother trying to pack the items myself - they do a better job of it. I would be the type of person that packs Old Spice hair and body wash with peanut butter crackers and beef jerky, and with my luck the bottles would open in transit, ruining everything else.

[derketchup]

I ship stuff to my husband all the time. I use priority mail flatrate boxes, which run $8.95 I think, or something around there.

I just order a box of the boxes from the USPS and fill them up as I find stuff for him/as he requests stuff. I pack all liquids in big ziploc bags, and I use newspaper to protect stuff.

PM me if you have any questions! Oh, you'll also need to fill out a customs form, but your PO can help you with that.

Back on topic -- I donated 9 packages of Kotex and a bunch of HBA to a women's shelter this week.

[misse]

10 bags of the lays crisp from target to daycare. I donated some about 2 weeks ago and the kids sent me a msgg that they "loved them." :wavehi:

[thickbluebug]

Mostly my freebies from wags and my overage this week.
Toothbrushes, light bulbs, oral gel rinse, maxi pads, trial size old spice wash, and zantac

[smgrube]

When you donate, what do you do for a tax record? Do you just keep a list or have the person you donated write a receipt or what.

I am ready to donate and would like to know what to do for my taxes. Every bit helps them and me.

Thanks a bunch.

[Dhunny318]

Just donated 6 bags of healthful life cat food and 8 bags of cat treats

[miamicouponer]

I help some elderly people in my community but what I am happiest is that I donate all the newspapers that I buy for coupons to Goodwill. They use the newspapers to wrap their fragile items and I don't feel bad that I just bought the newspapers for the coupons!!:BigHand::wink7:

[Clipper]

I donate all the newspapers that I buy for coupons to Goodwill. They use the newspapers to wrap their fragile items and I don't feel bad that I just bought the newspapers for the coupons!!


I do that too. It always amuses me that they are so happy to get what is esssentially my trash. I have a heap of Sunday papers in my car to bring to them this weekend. Usually I buy the paper on the way there and can get rid of them quickly, but I didn't thrift last week.

[shoppinqueen]

I held my first RAOK giveaway here at HCW.

Locally, I filled bags with toothpaste,tooth brushes, satin care shave gel, venus razors, deodorant,chex mix,chocolate,cereal,coffee, laundry and dish soap and gave the bags to 2 friends who are struggling

[TheBargainBabe]

What a great thread!

I'm not really a stockpilier (yet...I'm pretty sure you all will get to me. LOL)

But this week I'm giving to our battered women's shelter:
2 bouncy balls
5 boxes of cereal
1 box of granola bars
children's allergy medicine
adult allergy medicine
1 box of qtips.

[MamaBird06]

I haven't started donating yet, but i am wondering at what point do you say you have enough of something in your stockpile and start donating? I would really like to have a nice amount of something to donate ie at least 1 full box, so i haven't donated yet. I have been giving some things to family members, but i know that they may need the stuff, esp. otc meds as i am not sure if i could donate these things or not.

I really am not stockpiling food, with our eating habits it is just not possible to stockpile much as we eat a lot of produce and fresh foods. So i don't see me having much to donate in that area at all.

[chitownmelli]

We donated 5 bags of the healthy life catfood last week, and will donate another 5 bags this week. On Thursday the 26th there will be a food drive at Summerfest here in Milwaukee, and we will donate a few bags - we normally do cereal, boxed and canned goods, and will most likely be what we donate this year. Now I wonder who would take personal items around here - I don't know of a place to donate those to yet, other than family of coarse, but I think they are all stocked on toothpaste and whatnot lol!

[trott]

I would really like to have a nice amount of something to donate ie at least 1 full box, so i haven't donated yet. I have been giving some things to family members, but i know that they may need the stuff, esp. otc meds as i am not sure if i could donate these things or not.


Now I wonder who would take personal items around here - I don't know of a place to donate those to yet, other than family of coarse, but I think they are all stocked on toothpaste and whatnot lol!

Hello there- thought I'd leave my 2 cents for both of you. Homeless shelters are usually in need of all sorts of personal care items. I used to work at a small shelter and each person who came in rec'd a package with toothbrushes, toothpaste, deodorant, soap, a brush, lotion, etc. Check local area shelters, they may accept donations or direct you to a Clearinghouse of some sort.

As for the OTC drugs, the shelters may or may not take those, but somebody else here at HCW may know more about donating those.

BTW, if you have an excess of blood glucose monitors with no homes, check local high schools. I donated 6 to our high school when the nurse told me that she was frustrated that the kids with diabetes always forget theirs at home. She was so happy! Good luck in your giving!

[faeryedark]

Shelters may not be able to take the OTC stuff, but alot of sm. church run foodpantries will (as long as it's in date) Mine also takes monitors.

[wookin]

126 boxes of Spaghetti
103 Odom's Tennessee Pride Sausage & Gravy
12 Frank's Hot Sauce (the big bottle)
8 Bush's Grillin Beans
61 Protein Bars (various brands)
2 hours of my time

[TheBargainBabe]

I haven't started donating yet, but i am wondering at what point do you say you have enough of something in your stockpile and start donating? I would really like to have a nice amount of something to donate ie at least 1 full box, so i haven't donated yet. I have been giving some things to family members, but i know that they may need the stuff, esp. otc meds as i am not sure if i could donate these things or not.

I really am not stockpiling food, with our eating habits it is just not possible to stockpile much as we eat a lot of produce and fresh foods. So i don't see me having much to donate in that area at all.

Well I don't have much of a stockpile either. Right now I have 3 toothpastes, 3 body washes, and 2 toothbrushes. lol
But for donating to charity...like this week the Hamburger Helper is on sale for $1 at Marsh. I had a $1/2 coupon so I bought 2 boxes and just paid a buck.
So I try to get stuff on a good sale and donate that. :biggrin:

[susuzpandamonium]

I do that too. It always amuses me that they are so happy to get what is esssentially my trash. I have a heap of Sunday papers in my car to bring to them this weekend. Usually I buy the paper on the way there and can get rid of them quickly, but I didn't thrift last week.
I always donate my newspapers to my DD's school Art department. They love them because they are all nice and straight as I only take the Q's out. I take my old grocery bags to a local thrift store that benefits the Peace at Home Shelter (Domestic Violence) Anytime I have extras from my stockpile I take them to the thrift store and they make sure to get them to the safe house.

[susuzpandamonium]

We donated 5 bags of the healthy life catfood last week, and will donate another 5 bags this week. On Thursday the 26th there will be a food drive at Summerfest here in Milwaukee, and we will donate a few bags - we normally do cereal, boxed and canned goods, and will most likely be what we donate this year. Now I wonder who would take personal items around here - I don't know of a place to donate those to yet, other than family of coarse, but I think they are all stocked on toothpaste and whatnot lol!

Homeless Shelter, Peace at Home Shelter, Children's Emergency Shelter, Senior Adult Centers all take personal items. I also take them to our food bank and Meals on Wheels they love to get personal care items. Don't forget the troops too! Our area has drives all of the time to send items to the troops.

[chitownmelli]

Oh what wonderful ideas! I knew you guys would know! Thanks so much, I always have a few items here and there that I could share, and I am really looking forward to it! I'll start looking up some of those types of places!

[FantasyIsland]

Don't forget senior centers. We forget that seniors can't get around as well as us youngsters - shopping is a big deal to many. So donations of HBA, especially lotions for dry skin, as well as food and glucose monitors.

[Clipper]

I brought 14 cans of Friskies cat food to the local municipal animal shelter.

They wouldn't let me see the kitties as it was after hours. *sigh* Just as well or I'd have to take those cans back home with me to feed my new cat.


Oh, and I also gave the newspapers I bought today for coupons to the thrift stores I visited. They need them to wrap their breakable items.

[hartstopper]

I donated $300 worth of stuff this week! Lots of cereal, boxed goods, and bbq sauces and condiments!!

[chitownmelli]

We gave our newspapers to Goodwill, and we did that food drive at Summerfest, we gave them a few bags of food :)

[Maura]

I brought 44 lbs of grocery items and toiletries to the local homeless shelter/food bank this week! That makes 180 lbs donated since I started coupoining and stockpiling about a month ago.

[xcaligurl]

I am saving stuff like sample/travel tooth pastes, floss, brushes, shampoos, deodrants, soaps, bandaids, ect to fill clearnced plastic pencil boxes I had bought so I can donate them to the boy scouts for when they go camping.
:smile:
Sharon

[love_virus]

hi everyone, =)

I haven't started donating yet, but I have a question. In the future I would like to get somethings for my local humane society. Will they take any kind of dog food I get or? if i remember correctly I saw somewhere (other forum/website) that someone got turned down. I hope to get some food and blankets, out of pocket, I would rather not call and hint I'll be there because I can't afford much.

[FantasyIsland]

hi everyone, =)

I haven't started donating yet, but I have a question. In the future I would like to get somethings for my local humane society. Will they take any kind of dog food I get or? if i remember correctly I saw somewhere (other forum/website) that someone got turned down. I hope to get some food and blankets, out of pocket, I would rather not call and hint I'll be there because I can't afford much.


Every animal shelter is different. Mine will not take food donations because of a contract they have. However, there are privately run shelters that will take food. As for blankets, don't expend a lot of money. If you have bedding you are getting rid of, that will do fine. They cut up the bedding to use in the cages. So even a threadbare blanket will do fine. I have scavenged them at the marathon and always drop a couple hundred blankets. So, if it's not one way to help, you can find another.

[hscouponmom]

A week ago my friend's son went into the ER because he was dehydrated and feeling very ill. They gave him an IV to rehydrate him and he went into a diabetic coma within minutes (by the time they checked his blood sugar it was 947!!!). He has just came out of the coma and is having to learn to do everything again (eat, talk, walk)...apparently something also happened in the center of his brain. I have been saving up the glucose meters to give to a local senior center but now all will go to him. If she can get a prescription for the test strips, he will not need another monitor for a very long time.

I am not able to help her financially, which is what she really needs, but atleast I can help in some way.....

[MamaBird06]

When you donate, what do you do for a tax record? Do you just keep a list or have the person you donated write a receipt or what.

I am ready to donate and would like to know what to do for my taxes. Every bit helps them and me.

Thanks a bunch.

Wondering the same thing. I plan on finally getting my first donation in, in a couple weeks. I think i will do an inventory list of everything. Should i put the price of everything, regular price or sale price? And what about the taxes i paid on them, am i suppose to figure that in too?

[FantasyIsland]

Wondering the same thing. I plan on finally getting my first donation in, in a couple weeks. I think i will do an inventory list of everything. Should i put the price of everything, regular price or sale price? And what about the taxes i paid on them, am i suppose to figure that in too?

A tax specialist can answer this in more detail; however, here is what my accountant told me:

If you claim a donation for items you did not pay for (with cash), you cannot deduct its value. If you claim deductions beyond the basic amount (% of income) that's on the standard short-form, you WILL be audited.

That said, obviously no one can prove we did not pay cash for our grocery/hba purchases. So, one of the places I donate to gives me a receipt in dollars. I take the receipt and file it. When we have reason to file long form, perhaps I will need it then.

I do not take deductions for my donations beyond the standard amount -- we always use the short form (no kids, no mtg, no special deductions).

I think this year will be different - we are buying some houses.

[osumoose]

This week so far (not including the huge bags I gave last week full of pert, toothpaste, deodorant and glucose meters)
*3 bottles pert plus
*bag of school supplies

I stock the church pantry myself so it's nice to see what's been taken! I'm going to town again Saturday and Sunday for more freebies. Our pantry serves a community of 500, so every little bit helps.

[elizabethm]

A week ago my friend's son went into the ER because he was dehydrated and feeling very ill. They gave him an IV to rehydrate him and he went into a diabetic coma within minutes (by the time they checked his blood sugar it was 947!!!). He has just came out of the coma and is having to learn to do everything again (eat, talk, walk)...apparently something also happened in the center of his brain. I have been saving up the glucose meters to give to a local senior center but now all will go to him. If she can get a prescription for the test strips, he will not need another monitor for a very long time.

I am not able to help her financially, which is what she really needs, but atleast I can help in some way.....

I'm going to butt in with some advice. Dr. Richard Bernstein is a Type I diabetic (which I'd assume your son's friend is because of the phrase "son's friend") who has written the Diabetes Solution books. You can order the 2nd edition used from Amazon for little $ (he's on his third edition now). Even if he's Type II, the books are for him. Bernstein is very strict about diet but there's a reason for it. He gives an excellent explanation of diabetes from both a diabetic and medical perspective.

There's a huge misunderstanding about the disease of diabetes. Type I's are getting fat. Type II's are being given insulin. There's no reason or excuse for either.

As for the glucose monitors, I can tell you that from dealing with my husband being Type II, monitors can be inaccurate - it matters greatly for Type I's and for Type II's (but of course not as much for Type II's). Please check Consumer Reports and/or diabetic blogs/newsgroups or the like for accuracy experiences. My husband used one brand and the readings seemed odd - he and I took reading after consecutive reading and the #'s varied widely. He promptly switched brands and that one gave consistent readings.

Good luck to this young man! It's super manageable but there is soooooo much conflicting information out there!

[elizabethm]

I love this thread!

I've donated a bunch of stuff since I started reading Erin's blog and this forum. There's a lady locally who is sending a buttload of stuff to her nephew in Iraq. I dropped off a bunch of toiletries and junk food to her (because 18 - 22 year olds need nothing less than a ton of comfort food that they can burn off in no time!) I gave her 10 - 14 tubes of Colgate and Crest, som nice hair stuff (maybe he'll get a girlfriend out of it :), Pop Tarts, cereals, granola bars, etc.

For the County food pantry, in one week I was able to donate 12 boxes of Cheerios (frosted and fruity), 2 boxes of Nature Valley granola bars, 8 jars of Skippy, etc. for $10. I've filled the library's food bin twice in the last month with the above-type stuff and canned ravioli, pasta, sauce, that sort of thing.

Right now, I'm collecting to give a bunch of stuff (including feminine hygiene) to a local charity that serves the homeless.

:poke: I have a ton of coupons. I send my extras to an address with the Navy where they have coupon sorters and give the coupons to personnel. However, I have so many coupons that I'd rather take half of them and do some food pantry/homeless shelter type good.

Would you email/pm me if you fit all the following criteria: you are a hardcore couponer; you give stuff to the local food pantry/women's shelter/homeless servicing facility/veteran servicing facility/animal shelter. I'm looking to deal with three people. If you give me the types of unexpired coupons you can use, I'll look through what I have. I warn you, I will not be instant in my mail response. I'm halfway through the CPA exam and don't get out of the house except to work and take quick trips to the grocery store.

Givers are awesome - thank you so much for giving!

[babswhyit]

Sent a big BOX with hubby to the food bank that had cans of Enfamil formula, bags of flavored rice, bags of flour, boxes of cereal, and some other stuff. They don't give receipts there, they send them to you in the mail. Donated about 30 tubes of toothpaste last month and all we got in the mail was a thank you note, no mention of what we donated or amount.

We just try to estimate as best we can come tax time.

[lbveggie]

As a new convert to couponing, I am amazed at the amount of stuff I have already stockpiled! On Sunday I dropped of a box containing the following items to a co-worker injured and unable to work:
1 Bag Brown Sugar
4 Rolls Toilet Paper
Pk.Paper Towels
3 Pouches Tuna
1 Laundry Detergent
1 Dish Washing Liquid
1 Deodorant
1 Box Pop Tarts
1 Box Fruit Roll-Ups
3 Cans Progresso Soup
1 Toothpaste
3 pk. Bath Soap
5 Boxes Uncle Ben's Rice

Without the tips and scenarios posted by members of HCW, I would never have been able to afford to give so much!
Thank you all for helping me help someone in need!

[elizabethm]

Last week:

2 boxes Chex cereal
10 bottles Ken's dressing
2 boxes Pop Tarts
5 bags Chex Mix
3 boxes Hamburger Helper
8 boxes Quaker Chewy granola bars
2 boxes Frosted Cheerios
2 jars Skippy peanut butter
1 box Nature Valley granola bars
4 boxes Ronzoni Smart Taste pasta

I have a bunch of bags for this week but haven't taken inventory. I love HCW!!

[elizabethm]

33 boxes Hamburger/Tuna/Chicken Helper
4 boxes Nature Valley granola bars
12 boxes Fruity Cheerios
4 boxes Pop Tarts
2 boxes Success Rice

DH dropped it off at the county food bank drop tonight. Hopefully peanut butter goes back on sale soon!!

[LovesDivine]

Mom with 4 kids lost her husband a year or so ago and recently had some surgery herself that left her out of work for a bit - but since she 'has a job' she can't get assistance so she has been unable to really feed her family. I have been aware of this situation for a while but was told she is very proud and I was afraid I'd offend her if I offered to help. Well, she must have finally hit the bottom because she asked a mutual friend for a grocery loan. Mutual friend called me (I have talked to mutual friend about this situation so she knew I wanted to help).

I donated about 3 to 4 weeks of pantry, meat and poultry, dairy, breakfast, snacks, veggies, etc (depends how thrifty a cook she is) to this family of 5. This was done from my stock pile and did not really put much of a dent in it. Another giving soul friend of ours went to Costco and got her lots of stuff - so she should be good for a while.

She cried when she saw the food, first words out of her mouth were OMG my kids are gonna be so happy.:frown: There was no pride involved, this was about feeding her kids. Tears me up just thinking about it. I made sure though that she understood that this is not taking from my food budget, that my food budget is 1/4 of what it used to be and that what I was able to help them with was free and planned for donation.

Stuff like that makes it so worth the time I put in to doing this. I offered to teach her how to coupon and stock and she said she wants to learn. I hope she does.

So, what I want to do is keep helping her and her kids while teaching her to use a portion of her food budget for perishables and a portion for stockpiling and using the rest for other bills or something else.

Advice? I have done this for my family but we had the extra needed to start stocking right away. I have turned some others on to it as well. I have never done this with someone that literally could not feed her family. I don't know where to help her start.

[FantasyIsland]

First - IMMEDIATELY take her to the local food stamp office and have her apply - with no income this month, she will be entitled. First, she will qualify for emergency food stamps. Then she will have a short wait to be qualified for the full month. Food stamps are available to anyone, whether they qualify for other assistance is not necessary.

Second, explain to her the concept of a stockpile - why is most important.

Then just focus on the 1 or 2 items her family eats the most of or that will stretch the food budget the most - pasta, rice, cereal are some staples that pop to my mind immediately.

Then just wing it - you know how to do it, take it slow - let her set the pace.

Good luck - you are a nice person to not only feed her for a day but teach her how.

[LovesDivine]

She tried to get food stamps and was turned down. I don't understand why - she is not by any means well off. She is a widow and may get some sort of SS for that. i don't know what she does for a living but I am pretty sure it is not high or even average paying. What does it take to qualify for emergency food stamps?

I hope she contacts me to learn how to stockpile and coupon. We are not friends, her son and my son are teammates but off the field are not hanging out buddies, she and I have never really talked, just exchanged a couple hey hows it going's. I learned of the situation from a mutual friend.

[LovesDivine]

She came up to me tonight and said she got 2 papers last Sunday like I recommended and would again this week, she said she wants to get together with me now that season is almost over so she can learn to do what we do.

I think she might take me up on my offer to continue providing the bulk of their groceries while she uses her $$ to start building a stockpile and pay some unpaid bills. She is coming over tomorrow to 'shop' and talk.

[browntl5]

Hi all;
I think this thread is so important now more than ever, when the economy is tanking and now the snow is flying. I donated $900 worth of toiletries in August, and another $2,000 worth last week to the East End Cooperative Ministries here in Pittsburgh. They have a food pantry, soup kitchen, shelter, and more. I only shop Rite Aid right now, but there is a Walgreens going up just a few miles from my house. I can't wait!!
Trina
Pittsburgh
:wavehi:

[Coriander]

I recently donated about $75 worth to an elderly couple I know that moved to my area that needed help, no where near the $900 amout (BTW-nice job fellow couponer!) but still it sure felt good. Of course the $75 worth was the oop amount so it was a good start for them............thanks Walgreens for the good sales!!!

[ecj98]

Yesterday I donated:
Cereal
pasta
canned tomatoes
shampoo and conditioner
body wash
toothpaste
herbal tea
muffin mix
cake mix

[BostonRed]

My company is having a can drive this week for the area social service agency. The beautiful thing is that the boss has promised to match the donation. We'll see if he can afford to live up to it.

Donation:

100+ cans of Healthy Choice soup (from the Conagra deal at Shaws)

4 grocery bags full of HBA...lots of toothpaste, toothbrushes, shampoo

The company may go broke...that's $250 in soup alone at retail prices.

[mimipaula1]

What a blessing, Boston Red! Keep up the good work!

The soup sales/coupons have been WONDERFUL, haven't they? I was able to donate about two cases of Campbell's through our church community outreach!

[browntl5]

A few people have asked what others are doing as far as tax deductions for these charitable contributions. The IRS website (www.irs.gov (http://www.irs.gov)) has extensive documentation on what is deductible. You could also use a software program like It's Deductible.

I AM NOT A TAX PROFESSIONAL, so take the following as a layman's opinion.

I disagree with a PP who said that you can't take a deduction for something you got for free. Everything I have read on the IRS website states that you can deduct the Fair Market Value, which is what a person would pay if they walked in off the street and bought it at a store. The only reference I could find pertaining to the value of an item vs. what you paid for it says that you have to be able to prove that the FMV is different from what you paid. To my mind, that means a receipt which shows what I paid, along with "Regular price $x.xx."

I keep a detailed spreadsheet and keep all of my receipts. I also get a donation acknowledgement from the charity stating that I got no benefit from my donation.

FWIW, I have attached here the spreadsheet that I use in the hopes that it might be useful to someone else.

HTH!
:prayingmantis1:

[mrsjschultz]

A few days ago I donated items to a local church for their Christmas project which I *believe* goes overseas to children in third world countries =)

40+ Crest TP
Olay bar soap
College rule notebook paper
Kotex
Toothbrushes
PENS - lots of free pens from RA, lol

[SpendyWendy]

Is this thread dead or what? :whistle67:

I've decided that, along with saving myself a ton of money by couponing, I'm going to give back to the community more than ever before. I've been trying to come up with a goal and I think I've decided. I want to donate $2000 worth of items this year to the local charities/food banks. I think it will be easiest to do this one time each month, and it's perfect because this week there is a Caravan of Care house that they are filling up for local charities! :BigHand:

Here are January's donations:
10 bags cough drops
6 boxes Equal Sugar
4pks Hanes socks
2pkHanes underwear
4 Garnier shampoo
4 Garnier conditioner
5 Pert Plus
4 Small lotions
6 Colgate toothpaste
9 J&J Buddies

The sticker price for all of this stuff is$169.43, so it looks like I'm right on track! :cheerleader:

[proudtxmomof3]

I've donated ALL.. WEll I left myself with 4 of everything but I donated everything you can imagine stockpiling from food to HBA to my church pantry. Now i've decided to shop for them!! As long as I keep myself stocked with 4 at a time I'll be great!!!! Well besides TP!!!:BigHand:

[loladooder99]

Good for you. I never donate stuff because i don't buy so much that i have too. I don't have the money to donate. Although i wish i could.

[course24]

So far this year I've donated to Sal Army & Angel Arms (a girls foster home):

44 Reach TB
44 packs Stayfree Maxi's
19 boxes Equal
26 Bic Soleil
23 Bic comfort 3
16 Suave poo & cond
10 Sure Deodorant

Total thus far is around $860. My goal if sales are as abundant as last year $2,500.

[lbveggie]

Thanks to all the wonderful members of HCW I am now in a position to donate food and toiletries to a local food bank 1-2 times each month!!!! It is sooooo awesome to be able to give to those who are in need. Today I am giving the following items to charity:
15 Garnier NutriseS poos and conds, 2 pkgs. Kotex Pads, 4 cans of Rotel, 4 cans Chilli, 8 tubes of toothpaste, 2 bottles of juice, 4 pkgs. of razors, 4 Bandaid To Go,1 box cereal and one bag of cheese snacks! What a blessing to not only have more than enough to keep, share with family, friends and co-workers, but to even have some to donate to less fortunate. Thanks HCW for showing me the way to spending less and getting more.

[elizabethm]

I found a local church food bank open 3 hours each Saturday that takes everything - non-perishables, has a chest freezer for perishables and takes HBA. They have regular clients and they let the clients just "shop" their shelves. After I heard that large food banks were just throwing out peanut butter jars in a complete overreaction to the peanut recall, I'm swearing off the county food bank for a while.

I donated a full paper grocery bag of Colgate/Crest and toothbrushes (I didn't realize I had so much!), 16 cans of Progresso soup, 16 cans of Hormel chili, Hormel Compleats, cookie mixes, cake mixes, frostings, assorted cereal, peanut butter, instant oatmeal, traditional oatmeal, Stayfree, Knorr pasta/rice sides, etc.

[GJohnson39]

I just put together a donation to our local womens shelter with the following:
8 shampoos & conditioners, 8 toopastes with 8 brushes, 8 deodorants, 4 small jugs laundry detergent & some spot treament wipes, 8 hairbrushes, 8 can progresso soup, 1 12 double roll pack of TP, 2 body lotions, 4 canisters of Clorox wipes, and 2 boxes trash bags (13 and 39 gal). All were items from their wish list.

I haven't been stockpiling very long, but I think this is a nice collection to be able to give so soon. Will be dropping everything off Monday a.m.

[lbveggie]

Hi elizabethm, when I went to drop off my donation, I was so sad to see so many men of various ages waiting for food and soap! What finally did me in was a young woman with a toddler who was afraid to go inside because there were only men waiting in line. She told me she had been evicted when her job reduced her hours to 24 per week! That was too much for me to take. I implore everyone to look through your stockpiles and consider donating something to a local food bank, charity, homeless shelter or anywhere others are helping the growing nunmer of working poor, unemployed or homeless! The problem is ever growing and only by the Grace of God that all of us are not at the end of the line, waiting for a bar of soap!

Blessings to all who streatch a hand to those in need.

Ok, I will get off my soap box now!!!!

[lbveggie]

Oooooppppssss just noticed my typos! Sorry.

[angeleyeza]

every other week I have a babysitter shes only 15 ..here to watch the 2 girls so every night before she leaves I hand her 2 bags of groceries from my stockpile. Since she has 2 other sisters I try to give enough so that they can all share a nice bit of stuff. I have already given them 10 boxes of cereal, 10 boxes fruit snacks, 5 bags chex mix, 6 boxes of poptarts, 5 bottles dish soap, 3 bags of hershey candy, and more and my stockpile has no dent in it as it looks .. but Im happy with knowing at least they have something fun to eat.

[FrankRyan]

12 boxes of Nature Valley Sweet and Salty Almond bars
15 packages of Starkist tuna pouches
3 Cans of Chunky Soup
3 Jumbo Packs of Diapers
7 boxes of soy joy bars
2 wanchai ferry boxes
3 tubes tpaste
4 tbrushes
1 pack soap
3 dish soap
4 glade scented oil candle refills
8 bottles body wash
and lots others I can't remember. We give to an amvet and a welfare family on a regular basis.

[compmomnc]

Last Saturday we met a family that posted thru Google Groups for our location that they needed a hand. Dad laid off and Mom's housecleaning business is stagnant and not producing income of any consequence. They have 4 kids and a mound of past due bills.

We had started this whole adventure by doing some pantry cleaning and were amazed at what we collected thru our thrifty shopping adventures. We usually give our clothing and other donations to Goodwill, but we weren't sure as to what to do with the food. We have two local food banks: Loaves and Fishes and Metrolina Food. We have in the past donated to them and would not have minded to do so this time. Fate intervened in our decision.

This family had a much greater problem than finding food for their family. Their electric was in the arrears and in danger of disconnection on 3/20/09 for a total of 389.62 due. How could this family get any food, if they are going to lose the means in which to prepare it safely? We worked and got the electric company to accept 191.32 from my family to hold off the disconnection for 30 days. The family was so grateful and appreciative.

Well that was nothing compared to the parents who came to our house to pick up some food for their family.

Well our stockpile stuff was missing some things so we found some baking stuff cheap and then went to purchase milk, eggs, bread, cheese. butter, hot dogs etc. Then in addition to 8 cans of tuna, 6 cans of canned chicken, hormel compleats, 2 12 packs pop tarts, 2 variety packs of instant oatmeal, instant potatoes and noodles, mac and cheese, beef stew, chef boyr dee, canned soups. There was much more, but the list escapes me as I write this morning.

We then into our freezer and pulled out a shank ham, turkey breast, 2 roasting chickens and 4 pounds of ground beef.

We give and will continue to give to the food banks and Goodwill too, but with helping this other family we know that it really did go to good use. They received several weeks of food from us and a 30 day reprieve on the electric bill. Do not know what will have to happen on April 20th, but at least they have a little room to breathe now and work on getting income in to take care of bills, since their families foods needs are temporarily taken care of. My hope is that they do not need us in 30 days. We will see.

My advanced goal for the next 10 days is to:

1: take this mom I met with me and my husband to HT triple coupons next week and educate her about couponing and also buy her some more cheap food.

2: continue to help another family that we have helped for the last 3 years. The dad has brain cancer and the mom is unable to work. They do have an income and also get food stamps. They just need a help with the things that WIC and budgeting do not cover. We help with buying the dad , Gatorade each month. His stomach is so upset some times, that he does not get nutrition like he should. His doctor suggested he supplement with Gatorade and has since we started to buy it for him 3 years ago.
We buy an extra package or two of meat when it is cheap and give it to them.

This mom will also join us for our HT triples excursion, next weekend. She can not afford extra coupons, so we let her use our extra coupons and have fun shopping where she has learned to stretch her WIC a lot further.

3: I donated a sign up link I got to Pinecone Surveys to both ladies so they can make a little money.

The best thing that has come from giving is that my 14 year old daughter had caught the spirit and wants to contribute to help us help other people and families. That is one lesson that you can't learn in school these days.

Have a great weekend guys

compmomnc
Tina

[lmagee]

I live in the NW section of Houston. I'm looking for a clinic/shelter/food bank/etc. that could use diabetic stuff including monitors and diabetic food. Does anyone know of a specific place that can use these items, in the West or Northwest Houston area?

[DamianMom]

I am sure there are places that need stuff, I just don't know of many right now. And not sure if I have a lot they can use just yet. But I'd gladly be willing to help if I could. I am scraping by money wise as it is, being a single mom, but with coupons I'm able to get a lot more. Just wish it paid for other bills too. lol But I love couponing, as it enables me to help out other families. Yesterday we donated by having a sack full of food out for the Stamp out Hunger (I think that's what it's called). Where you leave the food out for the mailman. And also I was able to get a ride from a friend to take a bunch of Purina Kitten Chow we got with the recent free coupons to the animal shelter. I loved the look on the lady's face. lol They also took the rest of the Free coupons that I didn't have time to get more boxes of the kitten food. I didn't know they would take the coupons for it. Since I don't drive it would have been a lot easier for me to just have mailed the coupons for free kitten chow. lol But still, I'm glad my son was able to go there in person and feel that feeling of helping others in need. Whether it be people or animals. And now that I'm discovering more deals on pet stuff, hopefully we can do that more often as well. lol
I do have a question though. For those who donate the homeless shelters and such, how do you find what they need, or perhaps find whose in a lot of need? Or how do you find thoes people who really need the help? Many times there could have been times I could have helped, if only knew of the person who needed it. If that makes any sense. lol This is a great thread. Not for bragging rights, but really inpsiring to try and do more!

[Shelly527IN]

Yesterday I gave my friend 7 Bayer blood glucose monitors to take to a Diabetes clinic. She said that they were very thankful for them. I spent $27 for 20 coupons to get 20 monitor for free and have made about $60 so far. Plus, I get the good feeling of helping someone less fortunate.

A few weeks ago I donated 30 pounds of kitten chow to the local animal shelter that I got for free from coupons that I spent $8.75 on. I spent another $2.25 for 10 more Qs. I have more 10 pounds in the car, plus 3 or 4 toys for the dogs. These will be donated when I take my pre-k summer class there on a field trip.

A week or two before that, I gave my brother (who has 3 girls--8,9 and 10) two wal-mart bags full of HBA stuff from my stockpile. I still have a bunch of stuff left.

[hbaqueen]

This week I gave monitors to the church for mission trips, monitors/strips to my neighbor who doesnt have insurance and some to my sister who has insurance but strips not covered. I generally give any unwanted food to my paperman but Im gonna start shopping for the food bank again soon. I havent been able to donate much to them lately. I know they appreciate it and they really helped my friend out when she was in need a few years ago so Im anxious to start collecting for them again too. Love the stories of sharing the wealth!

[jolly321]

Yesterday I donated:

2 large bags of cat litter
4 Purina One bags of cat food
4 Arm & Hammer Toothpaste
2 bottles each of Herbal Essence shampoo and condition
1 Roll of Tin Foil
1 box of Tampons (this one was hard to do but I let it go, she needed it)
2 jars of Ragu
4 boxes of noodles
2 boxes of cereal
1 pack of Sorrento cheese
1 jug of All
1 jug of Snuggle
1 frozen pack of waffles
1 Aunt Jemima syrup

All of this went to a needy family that my DH had met several months ago. It was worth letting go of some of my stockpile items.

I may have spent $5.00 (including tax) at the most on all these items and the benefit to someone else far exceeded my time and effort.

The best part is she asked me how I did this and I spent over an hour talking to her about coupons and how to get the best bang for your buck. :biggrin: I explained how some effort can benefit her family. It was great to see the lightbulb go off. :hysterical:

[pkchicken]

we cleaned out our closets and were able to donate 9 bags of clothes that were nice but we had outgrown, I feel cofident that subsequent cleanouts will be as well received!

pk

[irishsaver]

I donated 20 cans of Green giant vegetables today via the kids school bring in a Can and tomorrow they are bringing in another 20 so it will be 40 cans this week maybe more if I get to the store for them. They are having a contest to see which classroom brings in the most will get a free lunch.

My kids tell me that most kids never bring in anything I find that very hard to hear. I believe you give you will receive 10 fold in other ways. I am no way well off but there is always someone worse off than me. We have all been there at some point in our lives or most of us have not knowing if we would make it to pay day. Every bit helps. I guess we are all brought up different.

[mainelycoupons]

Today I donated the filled cargo space of an SUV worth of stuff including:
(10) 2ltrs of soda
(6) Progresso broth cartons
(3) Progresso breadcrumb cans, medium
(40) BC cake mixes
(24) Ragu sauce jars
(30) cans of Mighty Dog
(4) pouches of Milkbone chews
(10) boxes of Hefty One Zip bags
(15) rolls of Scotts papertowels
(20) boxes of cereal
(8) boxes of Pop tarts
(36) cans of GG veggies
(10) boxes of Kleenex
(15) bags of snack size MMs
(4) bags of snack size Snickers
(20) bags of spring flower bulbs
(6) hanging baskets of houseplants

[Shelly527IN]

I haven't donated them yet (lady wasn't at church tonight to get them), but I have 10 blood glucose meters to donate to a diabetes clinic. I LOVE Walgreens and their $5 RR. I still have more Qs to use. Hopefully, I can get more to donate.

http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_Bxa5PIqMbYc/Svobuq2j2kI/AAAAAAAAAOE/gs2t7zAvUwg/s1600-h/November2009+003.jpg

[cens0rship]

Today I donated 7 meters to the friendship center in town which is place for senior citizens to hang out at and I also took two huge bags of food to a lady from work who just had surgery. Turns out she'll be out of work for 6 weeks so I hope to get lots more deals so I can give her more.

[hbaqueen]

deer meat and 5 boxes of pancake mix and some cereal

[kandpsmom]

Nothing this week yet but next week is the food drive at dd's school and I've been stocking up for it for months.

[dsilva51]

I donated 20 cans of Green giant vegetables today via the kids school bring in a Can and tomorrow they are bringing in another 20 so it will be 40 cans this week maybe more if I get to the store for them. They are having a contest to see which classroom brings in the most will get a free lunch.

My kids tell me that most kids never bring in anything I find that very hard to hear. I believe you give you will receive 10 fold in other ways. I am no way well off but there is always someone worse off than me. We have all been there at some point in our lives or most of us have not knowing if we would make it to pay day. Every bit helps. I guess we are all brought up different.

We did the same thing!

[Shelly527IN]

I ended up getting seven more meters for free from Walgreens for a total donation of 17!

[wookin]

48 Carnation Evap. Milk
20 Frosting
12 Maruchen noodle
Well over $6,000 this year in freebies.

[MamaBird06]

14 bayer meters
1 box of misc food items/fiber meds
2 trash bags clothes
1 bag of houseware items
toddler higher chair and carrier

[Betsy33]

An acquaintance was out of food and money until next payday. She also has many dietary restrictions. I had her come over and we went through my stockpile together so she could find what worked best for her.

I gave her:
tofu, chicken breast, ex lean hamburger, many fruits and veggies, corn tortillas, and salsa verde. Oh, and some shampoo. She felt bad, but I tried to explain that my life is for helping others, and that I was very happy to help her.

I feel weird about writing this, but if I inspire others, then that would be good.
xo

[MablesTable]

An acquaintance was out of food and money until next payday. She also has many dietary restrictions. I had her come over and we went through my stockpile together so she could find what worked best for her.

I gave her:
tofu, chicken breast, ex lean hamburger, many fruits and veggies, corn tortillas, and salsa verde. Oh, and some shampoo. She felt bad, but I tried to explain that my life is for helping others, and that I was very happy to help her.

I feel weird about writing this, but if I inspire others, then that would be good.
xo


Why would you feel bad about writing this? I do the same thing, and I think it is wonderful that you were able to help her out with so much. I am also sure she was very grateful in the end for all the items as well.

[Porfidio2]

BF is starting to GEEK about all the stuff I keep coming home with... To pacify him we took 5 bags of food to the local Fire Dept.

2 Glucose Meters
10 boxes of Nabisco Crackers (from the $10 Jingle rebate)
5 boxes of Keebler Crackers ($10 toy rebate)
18 cans of tuna (he thought I had too much):rolleyes24:
3 jars of Kraft Mayo
3 jars of JIF Peanut Butter
4 boxes of Stove Top Stuffing
2 boxes of Cheerios

Hopefully that will take his mind off the Dining Room table, living room chair and couch that are full of Rite Aid and Walgreens bags... :hysterical::hysterical:

*trying to get it organized and boxed up/inventoried for stockpiling*

[dancinmama]

Cereal
Toothbrushes
Zest soap
Natrol Acai Berry
Benevia Nutritional Drink
Dulcolax
Goody Hair Accessores
Nivea Lip Balm
Olay Regenerist Facial Cleanser
Glucose Meters
Stayfree Pads
Oust Spray
Soy Joy 6-pks
Robitussin
Bayer Quick Release Crystals

[sminichino]

I dropped off over 1500 trial sizes of Herbal Essence shampoos and conditioners,
100 Ricola bags of cough drops,
30 packs of trial baby wipes,
2 dozen promo pilot pen t-shirts with tags,
- - - too bad my school system was filling book bags for Haiti only.

Would have loved to drop off all the free monitors, triaminic strips, vitamins, comtrex, nyquil, dayquil, theraflu, etc etc etc. I guess I have to drop those off someplace else huh?
BTW, I have a lot of drugs stores nearby which is why I was able to get so many HE shampoo/ conditioners a while back for FREE!!!!