This is the giving part of the post. My grandmas always take care of me in one way or another.
Not everybody has a grandma to do that. I've had LOTS of grandparents. I'm lucky. (Not everybody's grandma is as cool as mine but ideally, grandmas are nice. Mine were all nice to ME at least.)
In my lifetime (whether I remember or not...) I've met NINE of my grandmothers, including my German great-great grandma. That's a lot. It's ridiculous.
Many of the people who are the worst off in our country are people who don't have family to help them out, for whatever reason.
I have limited funds to help out, but I don't have limited friends. So I wanted to share some ways you can help if you feel so inclined. These are pretty much all Longmont-centric but they are the places I'd give more to if I could. For any of these, they always need volunteers if that's your preferred method of helping. If you have stuff you want to donate but don't want or have time to take it, let me know. I can pick it up. If you want to give but don't want to shop, I can definitely handle that for you!
First is H.O.P.E. - (Homeless Outreach Providing Encouragement)
http://hopeforlongmont.org/
I've given to the OUR Center in the past but I prefer these guys now. They go out and actually hand things to people. OUR Center is more a place that people go to for help, the HOPE people seem to do more seeking out. Here is a list of their most needed items right now: Half this list I probably have in my house, you might too. If you can spare something, why not give it to someone who will put it to good use?
Second, is the Longmont Humane Society
You can find their whole wish list here, but I'll share some of the most needed items. https://www.longmonthumane.org/?q=wish-list
Urgent Need Items:
Milkbone biscuits, small or medium
Large Blankets (for dogs) sized to fit into a standard washing machine
Canned Fish & Potato dog food
Kundara dog beds- there's a link on their page to a donation program
Last, but not least, is the Inn Between. They offer supportive housing, services, and youth/education programs. https://www.theinnbetween.org/
Rather than donating items for the residents and those they support, they are asking for Gift Cards this year. It helps to empower residents to manage their own budgets. They prefer big box stores such as Target or Walmart because of the variety of things they can buy there.
I asked specifically about their education center (school for children of residents, or homeless teens.) and the teacher provided me with this wishlist:
Single-subject spiral notebooks
Large pink erasers
Couple packages of pencil-top erasers
2 or 3 sets of Multiplication/Division flashcards to give or loan to the kids
Healthy snacks are always appreciated!
Juices or small bottled waters
Apples (She says the kids like them and she'll sometimes bring them in with peanut butter- I'm thinking maybe apple sauce could be a good alternative as well since they'll last)
I might just get a few things from the lists this weekend while I'm taking the nieces shopping for their Christmas. I think they'd like to help me pick stuff out.
Not everybody has a grandma to do that. I've had LOTS of grandparents. I'm lucky. (Not everybody's grandma is as cool as mine but ideally, grandmas are nice. Mine were all nice to ME at least.)
In my lifetime (whether I remember or not...) I've met NINE of my grandmothers, including my German great-great grandma. That's a lot. It's ridiculous.
Many of the people who are the worst off in our country are people who don't have family to help them out, for whatever reason.
I have limited funds to help out, but I don't have limited friends. So I wanted to share some ways you can help if you feel so inclined. These are pretty much all Longmont-centric but they are the places I'd give more to if I could. For any of these, they always need volunteers if that's your preferred method of helping. If you have stuff you want to donate but don't want or have time to take it, let me know. I can pick it up. If you want to give but don't want to shop, I can definitely handle that for you!
First is H.O.P.E. - (Homeless Outreach Providing Encouragement)
http://hopeforlongmont.org/
I've given to the OUR Center in the past but I prefer these guys now. They go out and actually hand things to people. OUR Center is more a place that people go to for help, the HOPE people seem to do more seeking out. Here is a list of their most needed items right now: Half this list I probably have in my house, you might too. If you can spare something, why not give it to someone who will put it to good use?
Second, is the Longmont Humane Society
You can find their whole wish list here, but I'll share some of the most needed items. https://www.longmonthumane.org/?q=wish-list
Urgent Need Items:
Milkbone biscuits, small or medium
Large Blankets (for dogs) sized to fit into a standard washing machine
Canned Fish & Potato dog food
Kundara dog beds- there's a link on their page to a donation program
Last, but not least, is the Inn Between. They offer supportive housing, services, and youth/education programs. https://www.theinnbetween.org/
Rather than donating items for the residents and those they support, they are asking for Gift Cards this year. It helps to empower residents to manage their own budgets. They prefer big box stores such as Target or Walmart because of the variety of things they can buy there.
I asked specifically about their education center (school for children of residents, or homeless teens.) and the teacher provided me with this wishlist:
Single-subject spiral notebooks
Large pink erasers
Couple packages of pencil-top erasers
2 or 3 sets of Multiplication/Division flashcards to give or loan to the kids
Healthy snacks are always appreciated!
Juices or small bottled waters
Apples (She says the kids like them and she'll sometimes bring them in with peanut butter- I'm thinking maybe apple sauce could be a good alternative as well since they'll last)
I might just get a few things from the lists this weekend while I'm taking the nieces shopping for their Christmas. I think they'd like to help me pick stuff out.
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