I am starting a hats and mittens drive at the pediatricians office where I work as a nurse. I have never done this before, and I have no idea where to begin! My mother in law has been a teacher for underprivileged kids in a very low income area for the past 19 years. This year she is working in the most poverty stricken school in the district. These children have nothing. They will sometimes not come to school because they have no coat...or they have no shoes. These kids cry and hug her and do not want to let go when summer break comes, or when winter break comes, because school is their safe place. So anyway, I am looking for some help on how to word flyers, how to maybe ask other offices in the building to help out. Any advice would be so greatly appreciated. I also had the idea to start collecting McDonalds toys. I have been collecting my daughters toys for the past few months (yes we visits Mickey D's more than I would like to admit). I gave them to my mother in law who uses them as prizes, for positive reinforcement to get these kids excited about life. I am unsure how to go about organizing this as well?
Thank you so much for your advice and generosity everyone! We have a donation box up and running in my office. You are all too kind!
I wish I lived near you. I have a two bags full of clothes that are going to be donated. I think that's a very generous thing to do.
I wish the super rich would help out the poor in the U.S. than always showing their support to foreign countries. It's not bad either, but let's help our people too.Your mom sounds like a super woman indeed.
Send me your email address and i will see if I can put something together in MS word and attach it in an email back to you. Just put it in a PM.
I didn't read the other responses, but check with your supervisor; can you put out a brightly colored box with a colorful poster board attached, saying 'Help Keep Kids Warm! Donate hats, scarves, and loves here!'... you could also make a few copies of a small paper to hand out as people check in/out with the same information.
Do you have a facebook account? You can post it there - you can also see if other businesses in your building are on facebook and ask them to post it on their page too.
Talk to the Mgmt. company for your office building and see if they will allow you to post information in other parts of the building. Great cause - good luck!
Besides the creating the flyer, how will you collect the items? If you are collecting donated items, you have to make it as easy as possible for donors. If they bring something to work with them, you'll have to provide something they can quickly unload as soon as they get to their respective offices.
You can either have a large bin, box or basket your building's office workers can put things in, either at your own office entrance or your building's lobby (as long as no one will walk off with it). Or, if its not alot of offices, you can provide a container for each office which can be left at their front desk, and you can stop by each day and empty it for the next day's donations.
What a good thing you are doing to help people. I admire you.
Many time restaurants such as McDonalds have leftover toys when they switch to the new theme. When I worked at Taco Bell we ALWAYS had leftovers. If you go to these places and explain who you are and what you will be doing with them many of the places (at least around here) will donate them. This is awesome that you care so much! Love it and Good luck!
That is so nice. I will gladly send you all of my child's McDonald's Happy
Meal toys if you PM me your mailing address.
Hat/mitten drive: post flyers w/info and request to have any home knitted
hat/mittens dropped off at your desk/office for later dispersal to those in
need. Hats off to you.
Along with all the other great ideas, I would put flyer's up in area grocery stores stating what it is and where the drop off box is located. Make the box easily accessible, people dont like to walk far to drop it off... so near the door would be best.
Call your local tv and radio stations also. Here if its for a fundraiser they will announce it x amount of times a day with the info to get the word out for free.
Good luck!
I second the Facebook suggestion. Our pediatrician's office created a page a year or so ago & use it to announce flu shot clinic dates, school physical reminders, etc. Just create the page, then perhaps send a mass email to all of your families to "like" the page or post a sign in the office to "like" it. (I saw a sign in the office, which is how I learned they had a page.) Then you could do several status update reminders to bring in donations. What a wonderful thing you & your mom are doing for these kids!
i would make a bunch of flyers and ask businesses if you could leave a stack there. explain to them that your doing a winter clothing drive for under privalidged children (how could they tell you no after that!?!). put on the flyer all the needed info and maybe a contact number for people to bring you items. i wish you all the luck with this!
I run a mitten and hat drive every year for our neighborhood food pantry - which also provides warm weather clothing, school supplies, and holiday food baskets.
If you put a box out, make it cherry. Wrap it like a Christmas present. If possible, and with permission of parents, put up photos of the school/children that will benefit from the donations.
Also, I work with children from moderate income families. And believe it or not, one of the things the kids always asked me for was socks. So I expanded our mitten and hat drive to mitten/gloves, hats, scarfs, socks, and long underwear pants only. It is such a blessing to the children and such a help to the families whose income is so spread thin just meeting basic needs. Good Luck with your drive.
