Harris Teeter ~ Other: Thoughts going into the holiday season..

[TeePee]

Mods since I am not a yr old here yet, not sure if this needs to be moved or not.

A lot of us have a HUGE stockpile of stuff. I have so many deorderants, tooth brushes, tooth paste, and other basics that I have either gotten free or for pennies. Enough to were I wouldn't have to shop for such again for years. So I have now boxed up a lot of this extra stuff and am giving it to my MIL who runs a women's shelter out of her church in another state.

Before couponing, I had found a bunch of shampoos on sale for nothing at a store going out of business and sent 20 bottles to her. She said most of the people she gave them to were in tears because they are used to getting help finding food, but the other basics are harder to find and usually too expensive for them even after the food they get. One lady told MIL that her kids had not used shampoo in over 6 months before she was given some---she was using bar soap.

So when you get more stockpile, especially after the triples or superdoubles, why not donate some of the stuff to your local churches/shelters. There are so many out there that don't have means most of us are blessed with! And me, personally I hate to give cash donations at most places because you never know who gets that cash. This way you KNOW you are doing some good!

ETA in some of the poorer states, if the kids don't go to school (as in snow days), they might not get to eat so also think about those fruit cups, breakfast bars, tuna, crackers, etc. It might make a difference in a kid or even the family eating that day.

Again we are all so blessed to be able to do this and giving back makes your soul feel good!

[jake1951]

This is why I work so hard to find good deals at Harris Teeter and other stores. My stockpile is sufficent for my dh and myself [in fact he asked me how long do I think I am going to live] I donate more than I keep for myself. I have taught 2 classes at different churches about couponing praying that someone else would get the couponing bug and be able to help the needy, but alas no one has picked up the virus yet that I know of. There is no need for anyone in this country to need HBA.

[uummm]

I plan on donating all the biscuits that I am buying, if I am going to get paid to buy them (cat) then I will buy them and donate them to a friends church that has as soup kitchen. A few months ago I had over 70 cans of biscuits that I split among 2 churches (one is very small).

A lot of us on here do donate, there are threads in other forums discussing it. They have pictures of exactly what they are donating and I know I have read a thread titled something like "What did you donate this week."

I know here in my subdivision I got a letter asking us to donate HBA items for soldiers in the middle east.

[jenjacobs]

A good reminder OP. Many shelters and food banks are struggling to keep up with demand in this economy. Many things are free or cheap every triples - rice tuna peanut butter shampoo toothpaste deodorant toothbrushes cereal etc that are great to donate. I like to do a triples run of just freebies and buy a few bags of dried beans an easy and yummy shelf stable protein.

[cmricha2]

I like to donate my extras too, but it seems hard to find some place close by where I can go drop off stuff (several places only accept donations during the week during hours that I am at work). Does anyone know an easier way to locate places locally? I have plenty of items in a pile that are for donations.

[roxyr]

Many churches, schools, and some retail stores have donation drives. The Boy Scouts also do a food drive every year. I think the USPS also does a food drive, where they leave you a bag one week and pick up the food a couple of weeks later. I take several bags every couple of months to Crisis Control Ministries. I volunteer next door to them so I stop in every so often to see what they are in need of.

[Castingbread]

Originally Posted by cmricha2 I like to donate my extras too, but it seems hard to find some place close by where I can go drop off stuff (several places only accept donations during the week during hours that I am at work). Does anyone know an easier way to locate places locally? I have plenty of items in a pile that are for donations.

You may want to call around to some churches--it is possible if they take things they could be dropped off during the hours they are having services (or before or after while they are open). And some places pick up--maybe you could leave boxes on a porch or have them stop by where you work if that is possible. I know we have a Pregnancy resource center and they give out a list to needy mom's of all the area places that give out stuff--so some of the places you know of may be able to tell you of some other places nearby. The department of Social Services in your area may also know of other places.

[mama2kangaandroo]

cmricha1--Try a church. Our church is always willing to accept donations, and puts them to good use in our community.

I am LOVING giving things to the foodbank! We've always supported them, but now with couponing I see that the $$ we spend is going so much farther and it's really exciting!

Thanks for the tips on shampoo, etc. I wasn't thinking along those lines, but will certainly do so now.

[ryansmommie]

Thank you for the great reminder!

Michelle

[slickcat79]

I like to donate my extras too, but it seems hard to find some place close by where I can go drop off stuff (several places only accept donations during the week during hours that I am at work). Does anyone know an easier way to locate places locally? I have plenty of items in a pile that are for donations.

You can donate food items for the NC Food Bank at Kroger. I know the one by Southpoint has a giant box in the entry way. I've left some things there before. I'm sure I'll donate most of the rice, pasta and tuna from this week. I know some ladies who volunteer with the "lunchbox" donations for kids, and they try to sneak in extra stuff (rice packets, etc.) since a lot of the kids may not be able to eat on weekends and during breaks.

Thanks for the reminder OP. Many people do forget about toiletries and stuff, but I love to donate those since they're so easy to get for free :)