Opportunity To Help A Family Who Lost Their Home

All right, Springs Bargains readers – you asked how to tangibly help families who lost their homes due to the Waldo Canyon Fire, and I’ve got an opportunity for you!

Byron, Becky, and their one-year-old daughter are friends-of-a-friend of mine, and lost their home in the Waldo Canyon fire.  Last weekend, they moved into their temporary rental home, and as you can imagine, it’s empty.

When your home burns down, you lose everything.

We want to give Byron and Becky and their daughter a full pantry to give them a boost as they start rebuilding their lives.  Many of their other needs, like clothing, dishes, and toys, have already been met, so we are going to focus on doing what Springs Bargains readers do best: stuffing a pantry! :)

You can drop off donations of non-perishable foods or household care items to Kitchens By Design, starting today through Friday, July 20th.  Kitchens By Design is open from 9:30-5:30 Monday through Friday, and they’re located at 4557 Austin Bluffs Parkway.  (Note: maps aren’t terribly accurate with the address, so just look for the store on the southeast corner of Austin Bluffs and Barnes, next to Skate City.  There’s also a Little Caesar’s and Heart of Jerusalem in the same parking lot.)

There is no tax-deductible receipt for this – this is just something that we can do as the Springs Bargains community to help out another family.  Any excess donations that Byron and Becky can’t use will be distributed to other families affected by the fire.

Remember, you are donating to one single family, not a food bank or shelter, so fifty tubes of toothpaste may not be the best donation for a small family.  Here are some ideas for things you could donate:

• baking items: flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, sugar, spices, breadcrumbs, cornmeal, baking mixes, food coloring, liquid extracts, seasoning mixes, chocolate chips
• condiments: ketchup, mustard, barbecue sauce, salad dressing, oil, vinegars, steak sauce, hot sauce, peanut butter, jelly, pancake syrup, soy sauce, pickles, salsa
• canned goods: vegetables, beans, soups, fruit, tuna, chicken
• dry goods: pasta, rice, beans, oatmeal, popcorn, dried fruit, taco shells
• snacks and drinks: crackers, chips, granola bars, trail mix, nuts, coffee, tea, candy, gum
• paper goods: toilet paper, paper towels, trash bags, food storage bags, aluminum foil, cling wrap
• household care items: window cleaner, laundry detergent, fabric softener, stain remover, bleach
• baby goods: size 3 diapers, wipes, diaper cream
• personal care: toothpaste, toothbrushes, lotion, sunscreen, facial cleanser, soap, body wash, shampoo, razors

If you can’t think of anything to donate, take a look in your own pantry and think about the things that aren’t something you normally think about donating but would be useful to someone who has lost everything.

No donation is too small!  If all you can drop off is a bottle of ketchup, it will be appreciated.  If you don’t have extra items in your pantry and can only buy one or two items, no problem – I know that Byron and Becky will be grateful!

If possible, please leave a comment on this post with what you plan to donate so that the rest of us can see what has already been pledged so we don’t get too many duplicates.  (Some duplicates are OK, obviously, but if there have already been five bottles of shampoo pledged, you might want to think of something else.)

This is an opportunity that you can do to tangibly help someone in need.  Let’s join together and help Byron and Becky as they rebuild their lives!