Somewhere to Give

I think that everyone probably knows someone who knows someone who is going through a rough time this year.  Maybe?  Jobs are being cut left and right in all industries (including health care...which was supposed to be recession resistant) and parents are having a harder time putting toys under the tree.

Christmas giving, to me, isn't just about the ones who are living in crazy poverty year round, even though they hurt my heart so much.  To me, Christmas giving can be for the families whose parents sacrifice their needs daily if it means meeting their kids' small wants, who are just making it- living paycheck to paycheck- but making it, but they just can't do Christmas presents this year.  I love to give to them, too.

There is an organization called My Two Front Teeth who provides kids with a gift on their list- list meaning they probably only want one or two things.  Most gifts are under $25 and it's super convenient- you can pay for it online and they'll get the gift, wrap it, and deliver it.  It's sort of like the Salvation Army Angel Tree, but they do all of the work for you.

A little more about the Salvation Army Angel Tree.  This is the tree you see in the mall with the angel ornaments on it.  You pick an age, a girl or boy, and you get to go shop for the items listed (usually something like Barbie, clothes size 6x, books), then you bring your things back to the table at that tree and they deliver the gifts to the kiddos.  My family has always done this, and Devin and I adopted the tradition as our own too.  It makes for a fun date- pick your angel in the morning, go shop for them together, deliver your toys, get some coffee, drive around and look at Christmas lights, and talk about how full your hearts are.  Just an suggesh.

If you are more the type of person (does that make sense?) who likes to be right in the middle of the giving- doing the work, buying the needed items, and delivering them, and even if you want to be sure of where your items are going, the KSBJ Giving Tree is for you.  This is for Houston/College Station residents for the most part I think.  The way the tree works- people can nominate someone they know who is having a rough time and needs some help this Christmas.  Then, people (like you) can browse through the needs and find one that fits.  The person who nominated the family will coordinate everything and if you want, you can deliver your items to the family with the coordinator.  

You will find everything from needs like this:

My best friend was recently let go of her duties in the army. So at this point she is struggling to provide a beautiful Christmas for her two precious boys.It would be greatly appreciated if you could help this family and her youngest celebrate his first Christmas.

To this:

She is a single mom of 4 that works full time and goes to school full time. she works very hard and is still struggling.

To this:

Shes a 83 year old woman that helps 3 homeless men and is a really nice person.  Her daughter that lives with her has cancer and she takes care of her 10 year old grand daughter.  

Check out the KSBJ giving tree and find someone that really hits your heart where it hurts.  

Hoping everyone had a blessed Thanksgiving!