Good Causes

I am a member of the Collective Bias®  Social Fabric® Community.  This shop has been compensated as part of a social shopper insights study for Collective Bias®, Odwalla, and Champions for Kids #cbias #SocialFabric As always, all opinions are honest and my own.

This week I’ve been doing a whole food cleanse and as excited as I am to get my body in good working order, it has been very challenging to avoid many of the yummy foods I’m used scarfing down. Of course not being able to have what I want to eat when I want to eat it is not easy and it really has challenged me to think about how blessed I am. There are so many individuals, families and even children out there that go hungry day after day – and it certainly isn’t by choice.

Did you know that according to the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), 16.7 million children under 18 in the United States live in households where they are unable to consistently access enough nutritious food necessary for a healthy life.  That is a lot of empty little tummies. So many that more than 1 in 5 children do not know where their next meal is coming from.
My growling belly and the reminders of the reality of child hunger in the US couldn’t have come at a better time this week as I was recently challenged to participate in a Simple Service Project with Odwalla! Here was the challenge for my project:

GATHER your friends, family, and co-workers to fight hunger in the summer by hosting a food drive in your community.

LEARN about the needs of children in your community by asking a food pantry volunteer, school nurse, or social worker to talk with your group about their experiences.

GIVE the food items that you collect to a food bank in your community so that children and families will have enough to eat this summer.

SHARE your story with us at www.championsforkids.org/share so that we can celebrate your participation!
Thanks to Champions for Kids and Odwalla I had the opportunity to head on over to my local Walmart to purchase delicious and nutritious Odwalla products to donate to Food Bank of the Rockies.

I gotta say, shopping is fun, but shopping for items to give away is even more fun!
With very little time and effort I was able to load a a huge box stuffed full of the Odwalla products that I picked up along with a bunch of other items donated by some generous neighbors, family and friends that wanted to help too! It was such an awesome experience and although I’ve made many, many trips to Food Bank of the Rockies over the past couple of years, this one was special since it was a community effort. Make sure to check out my Google+ album for more pictures of my project.

The summer is a challenging time for food banks across America, so I was super excited to make a special donation to help stock their shelves.  Hunger has no season and no expiration date so now is the perfect time to make a difference.
Now, I want to turn it over to you and ask you to help make a difference in your community by fighting hunger this summer! Here is the challenge:

Gather your friends, family, students, and co-workers by hosting a “Hunger in the Summer” project at your school, workplace, or community center. Ask each person to bring nutritious non-perishable snacks to donate to a local food pantry in your community to help kids have a happier and healthier summer! Nutritious snacks like Odwalla Bars for Kids would be great to give. You could even consider giving out prizes to the person who donates the most food at your office or community organization!

To get started make sure to check out the Champions for Kids Odwalla website and be sure to check out Odwalla on their website, on Twitter and on Facebook. Special thanks to Odwalla for motivating all of us to make a difference this summer.

*For those of you that are local Colorado readers, I hope to be announcing a very special Bargain Blessings giving back initiative soon – so make sure to keep an eye out for more details!

Do you donate to help your community? What are your favorite items to donate? Where is your favorite place to donate? Do you have any suggestions for readers who are just getting started with donating their abundance?

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Compassion, kindness, and generosity. How often do you take opportunities to practice and teach these qualities in your household? It’s interesting to think about, isn’t it? Even if I just look back through the past week (as a full grown adult), I’d have to admit that there was not enough of these admirable yet sometimes hard to exhibit traits. The world that surrounds us is full of opportunities to complain and grumble.

Even as difficult as it is for us as adults to show compassion, kindness, and generosity on a regular basis – think about how much more difficult it is for children to do so without being taught. I’m such a huge believer that any time that any of us have an opportunity to teach the children in our lives to love others, it should be something we act on.

I’m so excited to share that for the first year ever I’m going to be participating in Operation Christmas Child! I’ve got my shoe boxes full of goodies ready to send of to bless a little one with the gift of love this year. It has been such a fun experience and I want to invite each and every one of the Bargain Blessings readers to join me in this opportunity to change a child’s life…forever!

About Operation Christmas Child

Operation Christmas Child is a worldwide children’s project of Samaritan’s Purse that uses simple gift-filled shoe boxes containing school supplies, toys, necessity items and notes of encouragement to let hurting children know God loves them and they are not forgotten. Millions of hurting children who are victims of poverty, natural disaster, war, terrorism and famine receive Operation Christmas Child shoe box gifts. For some of these boys and girls, it is the first gift they have ever received. Through the power of a simple gift and the message of hope through Jesus Christ, these children learn that they are loved and not forgotten. After individuals pack shoe box gifts and take them to more than 3,500 drop-off locations, the shoe boxes are transported to processing centers where they are prepared for overseas shipment. The shoe box gifts are then loaded onto trucks, sea containers and cargo planes bound for the far reaches of the earth. Once the gifts are transported to countries around the world, Samaritan’s Purse works with volunteer ministry partners and pastors to distribute them by trucks, trains, boats and even yaks and camels. This year, Operation Christmas Child expects to reach a milestone with more than 100 million children receiving shoe box gifts since 1993. That means at least 100 million children will have experienced hope and the love of Jesus Christ! BUT, it doesn’t have to stop there. Their plan is to go above and beyond 100 million. There are over 2 billion children in the world and half live in poverty. They hope to collect more shoe box gifts for children this year to reach as many as possible. You can join OCC in reaching this goal! Here is how:

How to Pack a Shoe Box

1. Use an empty shoe box (standard size, please) or a small plastic container. You can wrap the box (lid separately), but wrapping is not required. Most importantly, pray for the child who will receive your gift.

2. Determine whether your gift will be for a boy or a girl, and the child’s age category: 2-4, 5-9, or 10-14. Print out the appropriate boy/girl label by downloading the artwork. Mark the correct age category on the label, and tape the label to the top of your box.

3. Fill the box with a variety of gifts that will bring delight to a child. Here are some gift ideas to get you started:

4. Please donate $7 or more for each shoe box you prepare to help cover shipping and other project costs. You can give online by using the “Follow Your Box Donation” option, or you can write a check to Samaritan’s Purse (note “OCC” on memo line) and place it in an envelope on top of the gift items inside your box. If you or your family are preparing more than one shoe box, please make one combined donation.

5. Place a rubber band around each closed shoe box and drop it off at the collection center nearest you during collection week, November 12-19, 2012. For locations and hours of collection visit the OCC Drop-Off Locations page where you can find the nearest place to take your shoe box by entering your ZIP Code or you can call 1-800-353-5949.

How to Pack a Virtual Shoe Box

This year, OCC is offering an option for those that are not able to pack their own shoe box through their virtual Build-A-Box website! for $30 their staff will pack and send a box with gifts for you. You can also use this option to gift a box to a friend so they can have an opportunity to build a box.

Join Me to Change a Child’s Life

Join me this holiday season build a box with your family to teach kindness, compassion, and generosity.

BlogFrog will match the first 200 boxes that are built. Pledge your commitment below to build a box today on Facebook or Twitter!

This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Operation Christmas Child. The opinions and text are all mine.

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Photo Credit: ksuwildcat

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As I’m sure many of you did also, I sat in front of my TV last night, watching the horrific fire tear through the community of Colorado Springs. There are not enough words in this world to express the deep sadness for all of the loss that was unfolding before me. Within a matter of hours, a seemingly “controlled” fire  (if there is such a thing) became out of control as it was fanned by 65mph winds. The devastation that now flashes across the TV screen in the daylight reveals what was happening beneath the darkness, smoke and flames last night and the sight is sickening.

I thought that yesterday’s Jesus Calling devotional was rather fitting for a day that turned from good to bad so quickly:

Stay Calmly conscious of Me today, no matter what. Remember that I go before you as well as with you into the day. Nothing takes Me by surprise. I will not allow circumstances to overwhelm you. so long as you look to Me. I will help you cope with whatever the moment presents. Collaborating with Me brings blessings that far outweigh all your troubles. Awareness of My Presence contains Joy that can endure all eventualities.
~Psalm 23:1-4, 2 Corinthians 4:16-17~

Our thoughts and prayers are with everyone in Colorado communities that are facing wildfires today, including the brave firefighters that continue to fight back.

How You Can Help

Many Bargain Blessings readers have contacted me looking for ways to help those who have been displaced by the fires or are working to bring aid, so we have compiled the below information that we will continue to update throughout the week.

HelpColoradoNow.org is a great resource for seeing which organizations are helping and areas you can get involved. Colorado officials are saying that the best way people can help is to donate money so rescue organizations can purchase the exact supplies they need.  If giving a monetary donation is an option for you, here is a list of the four main organizations helping with the Colorado fires:

- ColoradoRedCross.org/donate
- Larimer County Humane Society (involved in housing evacuated animals)
- Salvation Army
- ACS Community Lift (Adventist Community Services Disaster Response)

For individuals who wish to give donation items, there are a couple drop off locations.  HelpColoradoNow.org has also posted a list of the current donation item needs. So please, before you start getting stuff together read the list below and make sure what you’re giving is what they need!

The High Park Fire
The High Park Fire Donation Center is open for those dropping off donations daily from 9 am-7 pm, seven days/week.  They are located at  215 E. Foothills Parkway, Fort Collins, 80525 at the former Mervyn’s Space.

Needed items at the High Park Collection Center Include:

Priority items

• New batteries
• New underwear and socks
• Furniture
• Water jugs
• Chain saws
• Furniture

Other Needed Items

• Basic home first aid supplies
• Sunscreen
• School supplies
• Backpacks
• Water bottles
• Laundry baskets
• Men’s jeans
• Coveralls and overalls
• Work boots
• Children and pant hangers
• New and used sleeping bags
• Clothing Racks
• New sheets all sizes
• New and used camping equipment
• New pots and pans
• Silverware
• Paper cups and paper plates
• Trash cans and trash bags
• Outdoor tables and chairs
• Outdoor storage
• Gloves
• Shovels
• Tarps
• Building supplies
• Generators
• Gift cards from area merchants
• Personal hygiene items
• Non-perishable foods – NOT HOME COOKED MEALS
• Laundry and cleaning supplies
• Please NO used clothing

Additionally, the Larimer County Humane Society  is working to assist pets and wildlife affected by the High Park fire. You can visit their website for a complete list of needs at this time.

Woodland Heights Fire
The Woodland Heights Fire is being supported by Estes Park Soaring Eagles to collect donations.  Donations can be dropped off between now and Sunday, July 1, 2012 at the following locations:

• Town Hall, 170 MacGregor Ave. (outside Administration, Room 150) 8 am – 5 pm, Monday-Friday.
• The Fairgrounds at Stanley Park, 1209 Manford Ave. (outside the Ticket Booth). Daily, 7 am – 7 pm

***UPDATES AS OF 6/28***

Alright Bargain Blessing family, go check your stockpiles and see what we can do together! Let’s also remember to take a moment to pray for the victims and volunteers affected by the fires.

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