Christmas Giving

This has been a good Giving week.

This morning I searched Just Serve to find organizations taking Christmas/Winter donations. I wanted to find somewhere we could donate clothes or toys so it would be fun for Nick to shop too. I also looked for anyone taking food donations and socks. 

A nearby high school was collecting donations today for Christmas presents for their students in-need. What caught my eye was their request for board games, card games, books, puzzles and all kinds of balls. Also soaps and lotions for stocking stuffers. All the kinds of stuff we like!! 

A quick e-mail confirmed I could drop off tomorrow instead of today.

Our high school water polo team is collecting food donations for another high school who is having a hard time keeping their food pantry full. 

Big Brothers and Big Sisters is collecting hats, socks, mittens and scarves for their youth.

Year-round, Lifting Hands International collects blankets to send to refugees in Jordan and Turkey.

Finally, "Too Often Forgotten" is requesting grocery store gift cards for disabled recipients to shop together with their social workers. 

After dropping Nick at work, Dan and I went to Costco  to get food for the food pantry.

We planned to shop at Target for toys when Nick finished work. As it turned out, Lizzie and Marty were able to come too! It was so fun choosing our favorite games from the shelves (me: Trouble & Rummikub; Dan: Trouble; Lizzie: Blokus; Marty: Chess; Nick: Star Wars Monopoly, and several others. Along with Rubiks' cubes, yo-yos, Uno, puzzles, Basketballs, Soccer Balls, and 4-square balls (WHY, didn't we play 4-square this summer when we were home-bound?!). Fuzzy blankets. 

Nielsen's run afterward. And a moment where I missed sugar. Then I remembered my Thanksgiving stomach ache, and was over it.

We'll do the blankets over Christmas break. It feels good to spend some time doing something for others!  Just Serve is such an easy resource to find places accepting donations of things, time or talents!