As the Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays approach, we all get caught up in making sure our children have the perfect meals and toys from Santa (and way too many of them) and that everyone on our list has the best present to unwrap. We enjoy lavish parties and other special events. But…what if your gift was a toothbrush? shampoo? soap? new underwear? a pair of socks (and they don’t even need to be new!). How would you react? Those items are staples in our homes and we take them for granted as a basic necessity. However, to homeless people living in the New Orleans area, they don’t have a home, much less staple items to store in it.
The homeless don’t have a place to eat a big turkey dinner on Thanksgiving or to unwrap presents with family Christmas morning. Instead, the homeless stand in line to receive a hot meal and a few basic necessities at Bridge House/Grace House, which opens their doors in New Orleans to all in need on these special days.
My children, ages 5, 8, and 15, and I have had many experiences volunteering at Bridge House’s Homeless Dinners. I can’t even begin to explain the feeling I have when the homeless are so appreciative to receive a plate of food or a gift bag of toiletries. I have sat at the table across from strangers on Thanksgiving Day listening to their stories. They are people just like you and me. Sometimes they have children, which is heartbreaking. They have been forced to a life on the streets due to bad luck, bad circumstances, bad economy, loss of income, and many other issues that we too face in our lives.
I have to say volunteering my time has been the most HUMBLING experience. It has taught me to appreciate what I have, no matter how little, because someone else literally has nothing. It warms my heart when my children want to provide their own special treasures to give to the homeless. It’s a start of a lifelong giving desire that I hope they will continue into adulthood.
My hope is for us to come together as Moms with our children to reach out to those less fortunate. But how can we help? Easy! There are always more people than toiletries available to be handed out.
So my goal this holiday season is to create a Toiletry Drive to help the homeless in our area. Here are a few ideas:
1) Simply clean out your closet and consider donating all those hotel samples that you swore you needed when you checked out the hotel, but just shoved in the closet since then.
2) Purchase items to donate. This is a great opportunity to have your children get involved in picking out items to donate and help them to understand on a small level that there are people that don’t even have the basics.
Suggested Items: Toothbrush, Toothpaste, Soap, Shampoo, Conditioner, Shaving Cream, Razors, Deodorant, Lotion, Body Wash, Mens/Womens Underwear (any size-New), Mens/Womens Socks. Small bottle/travel sizes preferred, but any donation is appreciated.
3) Drop off old blankets and coats. Remember it’s even colder on the street.
Any of the above items can be dropped off directly (through December 23) to one of the locations listed below:
Bridge House/Grace House – 1160 Camp Street (NOLA) or 4150 Earhart Blvd (NOLA) – let the front desk know it’s for the “Homeless Dinner”
I also have a toiletry drop off box at my home in Harahan or my mom’s home in Mandeville. Please email ttruxillo@bellsouth.net for the address!
If this isn’t for you, please consider helping the community in your own way. All that matters is we reach out to those less fortunate that truly need our help. Every day is a new day and a new struggle – the least we can do is make the simplest of items available to them.
Click here for more great ideas on giving back in our community compiled by Ashley at New Orleans Moms Blog.
