Making Your Clothing Donations Count

Illustration via etsy shop, Unraveled Designs

I don't like the way any of the donation centers are ran in our area. Please don't misunderstand me, I do believe these organizations are doing great, helpful things, I just don't agree with the way donations of used clothes and furniture are handled.

Aside from the usual suspects, Goodwill and The Salvation Army, there are two main collectors in our area that I'm aware of: Big Brothers Big Sisters and the National Multiple Scelorsis Society. You know the ones that will come to your doorstep and pick up your donations?

Goodwill and Salvation Army take your donations and sell them in their thrift stores. These thrift stores employ people in our community and act as a place for job training. The profits go towards funding the larger, nationwide entity.

Big Brothers Big Sisters and the National Multiple Scelrosis Society sell your clothes to Savers, which is a for-profit company. Savers pays the non-profits by the pound, a small percentage. Through this process, money does go to the non-profits, but in the grand scheme of things, it's not much.

I don't know about you, but when I donate something, even if it's something I don't want anymore, I want it to make a direct difference within our community. It's not much, it's not like my old t-shirts are going to cure cancer within Reno, but something about an organization turning it around and selling it to make a profit while benefiting from the positive press they receive by supporting non-profits rubs me the wrong way.

So, after some research I discovered a few places where your donation, no matter how small it might seem, doesn't get muddied in the waters of non-profit funding. They go directly into the hands of the people who are in need. There's no over-priced thrift store prices, they're just given to people in need.

It does take a little extra effort on your behalf, as there aren't bins or donation centers on every corner like the other places. But in my humble opinion, it's worth it.

Evelyn Mount

You've seen her name everywhere with good reason. She simply helps the people in need of our community. No muss no fuss. When we asked what specific things she needs, standing in the garage of her modest home off El Rancho Blvd,  she said "ANYTHING."

"This wonderful program accepts food, gift cards from local grocery stores, clothing and monetary donations at 2530 Cannan St. in northeast Reno. There is also a food donation bin at the the Sak-n-Save grocery store at 1901 Silverada Blvd., off Oddie Blvd."

Visit her website for more information.

Casa de Vida

Casa de Vida's "Wanda's Closet" is a local baby boutique providing free diapers, formula, wipes, baby equipment, food, and clothing to at-risk infants and children under the age of five. Each year, approximately 3,500 families in our area are assisted through this program, and all items are available because of the generous donations and support they receive on an on-going basis.

"Wanda's Closet" is currently seeking donations of formula (any brand and size), and winter coats (sizes 6 Months to 5T). If you can help, please contact April Gonzalez at 775-329-1070, or drop-off donations to 1290 Mill Street in Reno.

Wanda's Closet is open to the public on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays from 10:00am to 3:00pm (closed for lunch each day from 11:30am to 12:30pm).  They have  a baby boutique providing free diapers, formula, wipes, baby equipment, food, and clothing to at-risk infants and children under the age of five. FREE.

Visit their website for more information.

Where do you like to donate your unwanted items? Do you know of any other organizations in our area that benefit people in need directly? Please share in the comments so we can spread the word.

To Be A Big or Not?

In honor of starting my new job at Big Brothers Big Sisters today, I'd like to pull this post from the archives. Originally published October 29, 2009

The Little and I have been matched for almost a year now. That's the commitment you make when signing up for the program, one year. This poses the question, do I want to continue to be her Big? Last night I was weighing my pros and cons with Sir Sunderland (who remained un-biased the whole time).
Cons

• I only get 2 days a week off to be with my husband, the rest are spent at Starbucks until 9pm. One of those evenings are spent with the Little
• It costs money
• It is a constant source of stress, trying to figure out ideas for what we are going to do
• There really isn't a community surrounding Big Brother's and Big Sisters. I get a monthly email in my inbox and that's it
  
• There is no way to measure what difference I am making in her life
  

Pros

• Taking her to a Safe Halloween night dressed as a witch, getting her face painted, watching her bounce in the bounce house and get candy
• Her saying "Hey! Did you know we've been together for almost a year? February 5th, I have it marked on my calendar."
• The hug I get at the end of every outing
• Picking her up after summer vacation to see her with the same haircut as myself

Those pros definitely outweigh any cons. I want to be a part of her life, see her go through middle school into high school, how she does with playing the cello, celebrate another birthday with her. Even though I may get stressed out about what we're going to do every week, the moment she sits in my car and we discuss her week, all that stress melts away. I think I'll continue what we've got going, see where it goes and hope I am making a positive influence on her life.

To Be A Big or Not?

In honor of starting my new job at Big Brothers Big Sisters today, I'd like to pull this post from the archives. Originally published October 29, 2009

The Little and I have been matched for almost a year now. That's the commitment you make when signing up for the program, one year. This poses the question, do I want to continue to be her Big? Last night I was weighing my pros and cons with Sir Sunderland (who remained un-biased the whole time).
Cons

• I only get 2 days a week off to be with my husband, the rest are spent at Starbucks until 9pm. One of those evenings are spent with the Little
• It costs money
• It is a constant source of stress, trying to figure out ideas for what we are going to do
• There really isn't a community surrounding Big Brother's and Big Sisters. I get a monthly email in my inbox and that's it
  
• There is no way to measure what difference I am making in her life
  

Pros

• Taking her to a Safe Halloween night dressed as a witch, getting her face painted, watching her bounce in the bounce house and get candy
• Her saying "Hey! Did you know we've been together for almost a year? February 5th, I have it marked on my calendar."
• The hug I get at the end of every outing
• Picking her up after summer vacation to see her with the same haircut as myself

Those pros definitely outweigh any cons. I want to be a part of her life, see her go through middle school into high school, how she does with playing the cello, celebrate another birthday with her. Even though I may get stressed out about what we're going to do every week, the moment she sits in my car and we discuss her week, all that stress melts away. I think I'll continue what we've got going, see where it goes and hope I am making a positive influence on her life.

Changes are Happening

Well everyone, the time has come for me to fly the Starbucks coop. You see, I've been very unhappy, embarassed and stressed with my current position at Starbucks.

It was a slight mishap that happened with another employee that made me realize that nothing was going to happen if I didn't put at least a little effort into looking for employment elsewhere.

So I put the effort in, and it paid off! I listened to my heart and applied to places I was passionate about.

Today I accepted a position at Big Brothers Big Sisters of Northern Nevada.

Here are just a few perks I am looking forward to with my new job:

• Not having to wake up at 4:10 am 
• No need for naps in the middle of my day (due to above mentioned wake up time)
• I can wear my wedding ring to work- the chemicals at Sbux not only burn my skin under my ring, but also tarnish the metal. 
• Foot pain will subside - I massage my feet after work with an electric massager and they're still painful to walk on.
• I can paint my fingernails
• My hands will remain intact and I will save lots of money on intensive rescue clinical therapy hand lotion.
• Gone are the days of having 3,000 calorie drinks and 6,000 calorie pastries staring at me in the face.
• Anxiety levels will diminish with lack of intravenous caffeine.

Yo can see my elation with this new job.

Changes are Happening

Well everyone, the time has come for me to fly the Starbucks coop. You see, I've been very unhappy, embarassed and stressed with my current position at Starbucks.

It was a slight mishap that happened with another employee that made me realize that nothing was going to happen if I didn't put at least a little effort into looking for employment elsewhere.

So I put the effort in, and it paid off! I listened to my heart and applied to places I was passionate about.

Today I accepted a position at Big Brothers Big Sisters of Northern Nevada.

Here are just a few perks I am looking forward to with my new job:

• Not having to wake up at 4:10 am 
• No need for naps in the middle of my day (due to above mentioned wake up time)
• I can wear my wedding ring to work- the chemicals at Sbux not only burn my skin under my ring, but also tarnish the metal. 
• Foot pain will subside - I massage my feet after work with an electric massager and they're still painful to walk on.
• I can paint my fingernails
• My hands will remain intact and I will save lots of money on intensive rescue clinical therapy hand lotion.
• Gone are the days of having 3,000 calorie drinks and 6,000 calorie pastries staring at me in the face.
• Anxiety levels will diminish with lack of intravenous caffeine.

Yo can see my elation with this new job.

Sounds like a Plan

 The Little and I are getting together today and typically plans are difficult to come by. This week? They're falling into our laps!

First we will gallavant around to all the garage sales. Go to gsalr.com and check it out.

All the garage sales are on a map and you click on which ones you want to go to and BAM! You've got a nifty little itinerary planning out success. I've got all the addresses punched into our GPS and we are ready to rock & roll!

The Little was supposed to come up with ideas of what we can do this week. She wanted to go to Michael's to make one of their crafts they do every so often (this is her favorite thing  to do, I wonder why we get along so well?) A quick look at Michael's website and BAM! Plan #2.

Looks like I've got an exciting morning ahead of me!

Sounds like a Plan

 The Little and I are getting together today and typically plans are difficult to come by. This week? They're falling into our laps!

First we will gallavant around to all the garage sales. Go to gsalr.com and check it out.

All the garage sales are on a map and you click on which ones you want to go to and BAM! You've got a nifty little itinerary planning out success. I've got all the addresses punched into our GPS and we are ready to rock & roll!

The Little was supposed to come up with ideas of what we can do this week. She wanted to go to Michael's to make one of their crafts they do every so often (this is her favorite thing  to do, I wonder why we get along so well?) A quick look at Michael's website and BAM! Plan #2.

Looks like I've got an exciting morning ahead of me!

Crocheting For The Pets

     I had been introduced to the awesome-ness that is crocheting when I lived in a house with 5 other girls in college. My first piece? An uneven scarf that I wore all fall and winter. I then moved onto beanies with flowers and scarves that were even. My mother and sister-in-law received some of these one Xmas.

    Lately my heart has been yearning for a purpose. I've wanted to use Starbucks and it's "community" ideals for the greater good, I just didn't know how. Then finally it happened. As all Starbucks do, we have regular customers who we get to know very well. One of our regulars happens to be Deb. Deb is an awesome woman who comes in with her 16 year old daughter and gets her chai a few times a week. You see, she is a maniac crocheter and has crocheted each and every employee at Starbucks a beautiful scarf. She's even made people's mothers and children scarves!
     I asked her if she would be so kind to meet me and the Little and if she'd teach us to crochet. One Saturday morning, we met up at Starbucks. She came with a skein of yarn for each of us with needles to go with the yarn. Too cute! She was extremely patient and taught Brittney while I mastered the double crochet.
     I brought up the idea of crocheting blankets for the Humane Society, something I had learned about while looking at their website. That Thursday our group started. Not only was it just us but a friend and another regular customer have joined in!

     We are 3 weeks strong and loving every second of it. Not only did Deb patiently teach the Little how to crochet, she taught me how to do a granny square and another young boy how to crochet!  Since the beginning of our group Debb has dropped by with her blankets she's created. See all of these? The top 2 are mine the rest are hers!

 

     After discussing it with the group we have decided that we will begin with the smaller blankets for the pets (which leaves plenty of room for error) and will someday move to scarves for women or blankets for children. This is our first week with advertising. I peppered Facebook, the newspaper, Craigslist and sent information to Big Brothers Big Sisters and the Humane Society. My hope is that our crowd will outgrow one Starbucks and become a citywide event. And who knows, you can start a group wherever you are as well!

    

Crocheting For The Pets

     I had been introduced to the awesome-ness that is crocheting when I lived in a house with 5 other girls in college. My first piece? An uneven scarf that I wore all fall and winter. I then moved onto beanies with flowers and scarves that were even. My mother and sister-in-law received some of these one Xmas.

    Lately my heart has been yearning for a purpose. I've wanted to use Starbucks and it's "community" ideals for the greater good, I just didn't know how. Then finally it happened. As all Starbucks do, we have regular customers who we get to know very well. One of our regulars happens to be Deb. Deb is an awesome woman who comes in with her 16 year old daughter and gets her chai a few times a week. You see, she is a maniac crocheter and has crocheted each and every employee at Starbucks a beautiful scarf. She's even made people's mothers and children scarves!
     I asked her if she would be so kind to meet me and the Little and if she'd teach us to crochet. One Saturday morning, we met up at Starbucks. She came with a skein of yarn for each of us with needles to go with the yarn. Too cute! She was extremely patient and taught Brittney while I mastered the double crochet.
     I brought up the idea of crocheting blankets for the Humane Society, something I had learned about while looking at their website. That Thursday our group started. Not only was it just us but a friend and another regular customer have joined in!

     We are 3 weeks strong and loving every second of it. Not only did Deb patiently teach the Little how to crochet, she taught me how to do a granny square and another young boy how to crochet!  Since the beginning of our group Debb has dropped by with her blankets she's created. See all of these? The top 2 are mine the rest are hers!

 

     After discussing it with the group we have decided that we will begin with the smaller blankets for the pets (which leaves plenty of room for error) and will someday move to scarves for women or blankets for children. This is our first week with advertising. I peppered Facebook, the newspaper, Craigslist and sent information to Big Brothers Big Sisters and the Humane Society. My hope is that our crowd will outgrow one Starbucks and become a citywide event. And who knows, you can start a group wherever you are as well!

    

A Month of Crafts in 3.5 Hours

On Thanksgiving weekend I went to Michael's with coupons in hand, ready to buy some craft supplies. I emerged $20 liter with a bag full of projects for the little and I. For one reason or another, we never got to them. So, tonight we did my month's worth of ideas.

First we painted our figurines for our snow globes.

The two jars I managed to save were huge pickle jars. They were a bit oversized but still worked. The Little's figurine wound up not sticking to the bottom and hers just ended up floating around, which she was happy about.

Next up: snowmen made out of styrofoam balls we found at a thrift store. I got out my craft box and we foraged for whatever we could.

These were my favorite thing we made. We went downstairs and picked some branches off a poor innocent tree to make their arms and they turned out too cute.
And finally, we made the gingerbread house (I got it from Michael's for only $4!).

Never again will I make a gingerbread house. They're a pain, you can't eat them and they never stick together. When I asked the Little if she wanted to take it home she said, "umm, no."  I can't say I blame her.
She stayed for dinner with Sir Sunderland and I and we all had a great time. She went home with a sad giant snowglobe and a cool styrofoam snowman. We won't be able to meet until after Christmas so I gave her her Christmas present. She was more excited about the $1 socks I have her rather than the Miley Cyrus cd. You never know with her. Cracks me up.
Tonight marked one of the first times she's ever said thank you. It used to hurt my feelings, but then I had to think about her upbringing and maybe she doesn't know or she's uncomfortable saying it. Whatever the reason, I got over it quickly.
It was a fun night and we enjoyed eachothers company while listening to Christmas carols and giggling while we did our crafts.

A Month of Crafts in 3.5 Hours

On Thanksgiving weekend I went to Michael's with coupons in hand, ready to buy some craft supplies. I emerged $20 liter with a bag full of projects for the little and I. For one reason or another, we never got to them. So, tonight we did my month's worth of ideas.

First we painted our figurines for our snow globes.

The two jars I managed to save were huge pickle jars. They were a bit oversized but still worked. The Little's figurine wound up not sticking to the bottom and hers just ended up floating around, which she was happy about.

Next up: snowmen made out of styrofoam balls we found at a thrift store. I got out my craft box and we foraged for whatever we could.

These were my favorite thing we made. We went downstairs and picked some branches off a poor innocent tree to make their arms and they turned out too cute.
And finally, we made the gingerbread house (I got it from Michael's for only $4!).

Never again will I make a gingerbread house. They're a pain, you can't eat them and they never stick together. When I asked the Little if she wanted to take it home she said, "umm, no."  I can't say I blame her.
She stayed for dinner with Sir Sunderland and I and we all had a great time. She went home with a sad giant snowglobe and a cool styrofoam snowman. We won't be able to meet until after Christmas so I gave her her Christmas present. She was more excited about the $1 socks I have her rather than the Miley Cyrus cd. You never know with her. Cracks me up.
Tonight marked one of the first times she's ever said thank you. It used to hurt my feelings, but then I had to think about her upbringing and maybe she doesn't know or she's uncomfortable saying it. Whatever the reason, I got over it quickly.
It was a fun night and we enjoyed eachothers company while listening to Christmas carols and giggling while we did our crafts.

To be a Big or Not to be?

The Little and I have been matched for almost a year now. That's the commitment you make when signing up for the program, one year. This poses the question, do I want to continue to be her Big? Last night I was weighing my pros and cons with Sir Sunderland (who remained un-biased the whole time).
Cons

• I only get 2 days a week off to be with my husband, the rest are spent at Starbucks until 9pm. One of those evenings are spent with the Little
• It costs money
• It is a constant source of stress, trying to figure out ideas for what we are going to do
• There really isn't a community surrounding Big Brother's and Big Sisters. I get a monthly email in my inbox and that's it
  
• There is no way to measure what difference I am making in her life
  

Pros

• Taking her to a Safe Halloween night dressed as a witch, getting her face painted, watching her bounce in the bounce house and get candy
• Her saying "Hey! Did you know we've been together for almost a year? February 5th, I have it marked on my calendar."
• The hug I get at the end of every outing
• Picking her up after summer vacation to see her with the same haircut as myself

Those pros definitely outweigh any cons. I want to be a part of her life, see her go through middle school into high school, how she does with playing the cello, celebrate another birthday with her. Even though I may get stressed out about what we're going to do every week, the moment she sits in my car and we discuss her week, all that stress melts away. I think I'll continue what we've got going, see where it goes and hope I am making a positive influence on her life.

To be a Big or Not to be?

The Little and I have been matched for almost a year now. That's the commitment you make when signing up for the program, one year. This poses the question, do I want to continue to be her Big? Last night I was weighing my pros and cons with Sir Sunderland (who remained un-biased the whole time).
Cons

• I only get 2 days a week off to be with my husband, the rest are spent at Starbucks until 9pm. One of those evenings are spent with the Little
• It costs money
• It is a constant source of stress, trying to figure out ideas for what we are going to do
• There really isn't a community surrounding Big Brother's and Big Sisters. I get a monthly email in my inbox and that's it
  
• There is no way to measure what difference I am making in her life
  

Pros

• Taking her to a Safe Halloween night dressed as a witch, getting her face painted, watching her bounce in the bounce house and get candy
• Her saying "Hey! Did you know we've been together for almost a year? February 5th, I have it marked on my calendar."
• The hug I get at the end of every outing
• Picking her up after summer vacation to see her with the same haircut as myself

Those pros definitely outweigh any cons. I want to be a part of her life, see her go through middle school into high school, how she does with playing the cello, celebrate another birthday with her. Even though I may get stressed out about what we're going to do every week, the moment she sits in my car and we discuss her week, all that stress melts away. I think I'll continue what we've got going, see where it goes and hope I am making a positive influence on her life.

The Balloon Races

This Saturday I woke up at 4am and drove to pickup my Little. We were off to watch the Reno Balloon Races. They come once a year and most of us are firm believers that waking up that early once is enough. I just couldn't pass up a great opportunity to share with my Little.

With hot cocoas in hand, we trudged through the grass and set down our blanket to watch "Dawn Patrol." This is why getting there at 5 am is imperative. In the dark of the morning a few hot air balloons gather and put on the "glow show." After the glow show you mill around for awhile and slowly, but surely balloons start popping up one after the other. The next thing you know, you're standing in the middle of hundreds of hot air balloons inflating, then floating up into the air. The amazing part is that you are right there, watching it happen.We stayed until we saw all of our favorites (Smokey the Bear, the Kissing Bees and the Energizer Bunny) make their ascent to the sky.My Little and I had a blast. Our conversations came easily, instead of forced and by the end of the morning we were giddy with lack of sleep. We were having so much fun, I treated us to pancake breakfast at IHOP after the races. What better way to top off the morning than with a chocolate chip pancake?

The Balloon Races

This Saturday I woke up at 4am and drove to pickup my Little. We were off to watch the Reno Balloon Races. They come once a year and most of us are firm believers that waking up that early once is enough. I just couldn't pass up a great opportunity to share with my Little.

With hot cocoas in hand, we trudged through the grass and set down our blanket to watch "Dawn Patrol." This is why getting there at 5 am is imperative. In the dark of the morning a few hot air balloons gather and put on the "glow show." After the glow show you mill around for awhile and slowly, but surely balloons start popping up one after the other. The next thing you know, you're standing in the middle of hundreds of hot air balloons inflating, then floating up into the air. The amazing part is that you are right there, watching it happen.We stayed until we saw all of our favorites (Smokey the Bear, the Kissing Bees and the Energizer Bunny) make their ascent to the sky.My Little and I had a blast. Our conversations came easily, instead of forced and by the end of the morning we were giddy with lack of sleep. We were having so much fun, I treated us to pancake breakfast at IHOP after the races. What better way to top off the morning than with a chocolate chip pancake?