When we travel by car, we see homeless people holding signs for food and help. It always makes us feel like we need to do something to give back. My Son and I decided on one of our trips to go in a grocery store and we purchased many things we thought a person living on the streets would want. After reading articles on the subject, we have added to our donation bags. Donation bags are great to have in your trunk to just hand out when you see fit. But for us, we are headed on our trip to Old Town San Diego and here is a list of what we bought to make our donation bags.
| reusable grocery bags | gatorade | |||||||||
| 2 plastic grocery bags | water | |||||||||
| ziplock plastic baggies in various sizes | tea Bags | |||||||||
| shampoo | hot cocoa mix | |||||||||
| soap | chips | |||||||||
| washcloth | crackers | |||||||||
| toothbrush | gum | |||||||||
| toothpaste | chocolates | |||||||||
| lotion | hard candy | |||||||||
| nail clippers | smarties | |||||||||
| deodorant | nuts (soft ones like cashews, pistachios) | |||||||||
| lip balm | beef jerky | |||||||||
| band aids | tuna packets (fork) | |||||||||
| baby wipes | beans with a pull tab lid | |||||||||
| kleenex | cereal bars | |||||||||
| combs | chewy bars | |||||||||
| masks | chips | |||||||||
| plastic silverware | raisins | |||||||||
| **SOCKS** (always needed) | Trail Mix | |||||||||
| Encouraging Handwritten note | Fruit cups (spoon) | |||||||||
| For Women’s Donation Bag | ||||||||||
| underwear | ||||||||||
| hair ties | ||||||||||
| Feminine hygiene products | ||||||||||
We made up 10 large bags after stuffing those we were able to have enough supplies to do 4 smaller bags. We also included a few made-up bags of dog food and treats in case we see any homeless individuals with a dog in tow
Here are some other items that could be added to your donation bags:
sunscreen, pudding cups, book, magazine, playing cards, gloves, winter hat, scarf, instant hand warmers and toe warmers, water refillable bottles, instant coffee, small packets of peanut butter, Vienna sausages, instant oatmeal packets, ramen, protein powder packets, antibiotic ointment, Q-tips, razor, quarters for washing clothes and small packets of laundry soap,
This is something great to teach your kids that everyone matters and to help others in need. It also feels good to see them going through the bag and looking at all the goodies in there. I really feel blessed to have the means to give back to people that are in a bind or down on their luck. When handing them out I would say, would you like a bag of supplies? You could also give these to homeless shelters to give out after they serve dinner. Another great idea is to make these up for nursing homes or meals on wheels.