THE BIG GIVE
Are you ready for THE BIG GIVE?!
As you may know, I offer many giveaways on this site. I cannot think of a better reason to hold a giveaway than as a way to promote the cause of GIVING.
This week, I am encouraging you to consider how you can GIVE to someone or a cause in need. Gather together the best of your stockpile or even consider making a special trip to put together a bag of food that will complete someone’s Thanksgiving table. Or if money is tight, consider donating TIME to help a neighbor, a friend, or a local charity. This giveaway is not about the amount given…but what an impact we can have when we all give together!
My ONLY stipulation for entering is that you take a picture of your donation or activity and share it in this giveaway post. (You can now upload pictures in the comments section!) I want to offer a way for us to celebrate GIVING together and pictures say a thousand words!
I will leave this giveaway open until next Tuesday, November 23 at 11:59 pm EST, so that will give you some time to GIVE. {Promise me you’ll have FUN too!}
I’ll go first. I have a few pictures that I plan to share this week. The first is a picture of some giving that we took part in last week. We invited some Jr. High girls from church over and had a blast packing boxes for Operation Christmas Child. (One of my FAVORITE ways to give at Christmas time!) My boys and I had lots of fun shopping for anything that we thought a little boy or girl who didn’t have much would enjoy or need.
Now it’s YOUR turn! Sometime in the next week, leave a comment and picture below sharing how you have participated in the BIG GIVE this week! (If you are reading this in an email or reader, click here to do so.) I will leave a link up at the top of the site so you can easily access the giveaway throughout the week.
The giveaway will end on November 23, 2010 and I will randomly choose one winner of a $50 Amazon Gift Code. The winner will be contacted by email and listed on this site.
Disclaimer: Amazon is not affiliated with this giveaway. I used my Swag Bucks to purchase an Amazon Gift Code so I could encourage my readers celebrate giving!
Jennifer Johnson says
This is an AWESOME giveaway!
In my own life, my husband and I run a ministry out of our apartment twice a week for the people in the apartment complex. We have tutoring, as well as bible studies, and just time to hang out with the kids and let them have a safe, fun place to hangout. We just had a Fall Festival in the end of October and it was so much fun, though of course incredibly exhausting as well…We also had our weekly bible kids bible study on Thursday, where we give out candy to the kids if they can answer questions about the bible study we just told them. I’m attaching a picture of some of the kids that come…they are the sweetest children!
Hope I win, who couldn’t use an amazon giftcard!?
Jennifer Johnson says
sorry I forgot my picture! Arghhh!
Mandy says
I already turned in my box for the Samaritan project ( has to be the same as your Christmas box), but I am still filling a food box for my adopt a family so I included a picture of that, less the gifts I have wrapped and put aside….
Jenna says
My parents always do without extra things, while serving others in many ways. My dad is a pastor, and my mom works full-time for the Salvation Army and their local library.
Their oven stopped working months ago, and they haven’t been able to buy a new one, yet. We tease them because they have to run down to their church to bake food!
My sisters and I pooled our money together and surprised them with a new oven this week! We wanted them to have it before Thanksgiving, since we have a large family and will be celebrating at their home.
Pam says
I first started couponing about a year ago when I became a stay-at-home mom after I had my daughter. I started accumulating quite a stockpile of free personal items after playing the drug store game. I realized that we had WAY more than we could ever use so I decided to donate the items. I contacted The Gospel Rescue Mission in Tucson, AZ and asked what they could use. I created 15 personal hygiene bags (6 for men and 9 for women) as well as a bag of miscellaneous health items (first aid kits, pain relievers, eye drops, etc) and an entire household cleaning kit. My husband and I donated the kits last week. God has really blessed our family and I was glad that we could pass along our blessings! In the spirit of giving, I have asked a couple of local churches to hold a collection of personal hygiene items and I hope to continue to put together kits to donate next year!
Ellen says
Made these for a neighbor who wasn’t feeling well.
Julia says
I don’t have any pictures either. 🙁 A few months ago, we had a friend who had to have emergency surgery. He hadn’t had a steady income for a year & had no insurance. I was so excited to be able to just go to my stash & “shop” for them. We were able to give them 5 bags full of groceries, household & personal items. It really made us feel good to know we were making a difference!
Sharonna M. says
OK – This doesn’t look like much. My story is that I’m a college student that is working my way through college, trying to save as much as I can to pay for my bills/loans. I recently began to use coupons and try to help others along the way. This picture is part of the items that I’ve gotten together to give away – I can’t specifically say where EVERYTHING is going – I just have things on hand for when I hear people are in need – I usually make up a basket of things and give to them. (mostly other college students that don’t really have anything or the money to buy the essentials.) I have been blessed with so much (not just material possessions!) – God is good!
kaleyehret says
For Tracy’s entry above 🙂
Tracy M. says
Every Thursday you can see a long line of people on the sidewalk waiting to enter a local food bank in hopes of being able to obtain food for their families. I recognize some, their children go to school with my daughter. It makes me even more grateful for what I have and makes me want to do more for others. My mother taught me at a very young age the importance of helping others and I have tried to instill that in my children as well. Each year my daughter’s school holds a canned food drive for that food bank. These bags contain 143 cans of food that my daughter and I were able to get for that cause.
Susan says
Didn’t take a picture, but donated some food for my girls’ daycare’s food drive last week. Our church is collecting goodies for our local nursing home (lotions and crossword puzzles). Also, just little things, like putting coins in the Salvation Army cans at Kmart today (they are already out ringing those bells!). Donated to Ronald McDonald house from a letter that came in the mail today…felt compelled because my kids are healthy. Oh, and when I ordered my Dominos pizza tonight, I donated $1 to St. Jude. Dominos matches dollar for dollar. There are so many opportunities to give.
Sarah B says
The picture’s not much, but I put together a box for the ‘pregnancy care center’ in our area. It’s mostly some diapers and clothes that my little one has outgrown. They were a great help for me this year and I know that even my little box can help someone else.
Donna Weikel says
Sorry I do not have any pictures. We have donated $50.00 to our local Turkey Round up. The money goes to the food bank in the State Of Delaware. They put baskets together so needy people have the fixings & turkey to make Thanksgiving dinner. Second we donated 3 dolls to the Marine For Tots program.
Barb Ray says
My daughters class at church just did the Operation Christmas shoe boxes and the boxes are already dontated, so no picture. We will be helping one family to be adopted, but the info isn’t ready until after Thanksgiving. I try to teach my daughter the gift of giving and not always receiving.
Shelly Kave says
The picture is of sweet potatoes that I grew this year in my garden. We gathered these and some canned goods and gave them to a family in need this morning.
Micah says
Forgot to leave a picture. This is my three boys and an uncle helping sort my calves this spring.
kaleyehret says
Hi, Micah,
I’m still not seeing the picture. You could try to email it to me at: kaleyandwes @ chachingonashoestring.com (remove spaces).
kathy says
I do a big give at our church. We have two separate churches that give us names of people and their needs. I have not got their requests yet. I will not have pictures but by the time we are ready to deliver we have two moving trucks full of gifts. It is amazing.
Micah says
We lost a dear friend last spring and one of his pet projects was a christian children’s home about 100 miles from where we live. He would take a beef to them once a year so that they could have it butchered. I decided this year that I would pick up his project. I picked out calves this spring, one for my family and one for theirs. I have fed them all year to butcher size, about 1300 lbs, and I just took mine to the meat processor last weekend, I will deliver theirs this coming weekend. I know we live in a different part of the country, but this is something we can all take part in.
kaleyehret says
For Victoria’s entry above. 🙂
Kelley Leer says
I love to give in any way I can. My family and I have been involved in many service projects through our church and scouts and the school where I teach. There truly is nothing more fullfilling than seeing what a difference it can make to someone. Since my son joined the Army in 2008 most of our giving has been for our service men and women. This is box I just sent to a soldier deployed to Afghanistan. I call it my Box of Fall. Lots of apple flavored things, caramel candies, pumpkin seeds, fall leaves from our back yard and the best of all – Eagles football, hat, cards, etc I hope it brings a smile to his face and that he can forget just for a few minutes about the hell he is living in in such a dangerous place.
Please pray for our soldliers.
Victoria F. says
My Big Give is complicated (picture shows a BIG MESS…LOL) but The bottom 3 boxes on the right are for 2 families who have suffered great losses/setbacks this year I have adopted for Christmas (also includes a food basket, but the perishables won’t be picked up till I go to drop it off)
Box on the left is being sent to my “Adopted” troops over seas, and top box on right (containing beauty items) are given to a friend who visits women battling cancer to help them “feel good” during a difficult battle.
This is my Big Give this year, a bit smaller then the last few due to personal circumstances, but none the less… IT MUST BE DONE 🙂