Santa's Workshop

21 Pairs of New Shoes for Christmas

Yesterday I went to Payless Shoesource to see if they would give me a discount since I would be purchasing 21 pairs of shoes for the Pre-school Munchkins for Christmas.  I spoke with Alex, the manager there, a most wonderful young man !!  :)   I am very grateful to him !!  :)   Not only did he give me a great discount, he also spent quite some time helping me find the right pair of shoes for each child in the colors each had asked for.

Alex got so into doing this and I felt that the Spirit of Christmas rubbed off on him.  :)   He helped me find the right size for each Munchkin and then advised me as to which pair was the best in each case.  :)

Alex, you were awesome and definitely did a lot of good deeds yesterday for many kids in need !!  Thank you for your caring and your kindness and your loving help !!  :)   My Gratitude is big !!   :)

My Angel-neighbor Dave, who is donating a lot of toys, and I are working on getting them sorted out, researched and ordered, or for me to find locally.  It is amazing how many different toys there are available now and how many different characters there are to choose from.  :)  Most of the ones the Munchkins asked for Dave nor I ever heard of.  Of course there were many "Frozen" item requests from the girls, and "Batman", "Superman" and many for "Lego's" from the boys.  :)   Did you know that there is a bible available illustrated in Lego's ??  It's called the "Brick Bible" and it really weighs a brick.  One of the older boys asked for one as his Christmas gift.  

So things are happening at Santa's Workshop here at my home and it is beginning to look around here like I am a hoarder.  Just the shoes and some of the toys took up quite an area in my livingroom already.  :)   

Oh what a Joy this is to do !!   :)   I would like to thank each and everyone of you who has helped out so far with donations to make this possible !!  :)  Your Kindness will come back to you in many different ways, it always does, but of course that is not why we do this.  :) Just hoping to make a small difference in a few children's lives. Also hoping that this will plant new seeds with people and that it will ripple out.   :)   

I have many pictures for you to see, although I still am unable to put them on this blog.  I wish I was better at figuring out these computer things.  :)  

You all are incredible !!  :)  Thanks again !!  :)

Karin

Christmas for Needy Children & Help in General

Christmas is just around the corner.  It is time for the planning to begin and I will need to ask everyone's help once more.  :)  This year it is for the children.  :)

My dream is to make Christmas for each of the now 21 Munchkins that are in my "Food Blessings in a Backpack" program.  These children are all from needy families and it would be so wonderful to help out the parents a little in this way and to surprise the lil' ones.  :)  Plus it makes the heart feel good to imagine their cute faces when they open their presents on Christmas.  :)

I am sending this out now already to find out how much support, financially and physically, I will receive for this project and if it is okay to proceed.  Please feel free to share this blog with anyone and in any way you can to get the word out for help.  :)  The more the merrier.  :)  I need each and everyone of your support.  :)

I have put together and holding onto so far a Wish List for the parents to fill out for each child asking their sizes for clothes, shoes, toys or gifts they are asking Santa for this year.  I  have a number of books already that Miss Blanca from Outer Limits Preschool is helping out with, and it is our beginning.  :)

It would also be nice to have home baked cookies for the Munchkins and other little surprises.  So if anyone would like to volunteer some baking when it gets closer, that would be so welcome once more.  :)

When it gets closer, I would also need some volunteers to help with the wrapping of the presents, and maybe even making some Christmas cards for the Munchkins from Santa.  :)

Since I am stuffing 21 backpacks now every week, which adds up to 84 meals each weekend, I also need more help with donations of food and or funds to keep up with this.  I figured out that it costs about $7.00 per child per weekend for four meals and snacks, etc., which is about $600.00 a month for just the food.  And of course there are always a few other expenses, like gas, plastic bags, etc. The support is coming in very slowly and this puzzles me since it is for little children.  Their ages are from 2 to 10, and all need the support each weekend.  I go through an incredible amount of food each week and it would be really awesome if I could continue to do this.   :)

At this point I am struggling along, but I do have two incredible Angels who help out regularly.  :)   Mark and Bill send a small check every month, and Dave donates food from CostCo every two weeks.  :)  I truly know that I can rely on all three, but I could use more help like that on a regular basis.  :)  It is really hard for me to keep asking you all for help, I feel like I am begging every time I send out a blog entry.

So please share your thoughts on this with me and please help out whichever way you feel you can.  :)

Sending a great big Hug and many Blessings to each and everyone of you !!  :)

Karin
LKarinElliott@aol.com
520-326-2236

L. Karin Elliott
3364 E. Popinac Loop
Tucson, AZ 85716

The Numbers Are Growing

The numbers are growing and I am up to 18 needy children now who receive a backpack filled with food every Friday for the weekend.  :)  That is 72 meals every week and just as many snacks, along with a can of vegetables, some sort of fruit like raisins, apple sauce or fruit strips, and a small sweet treat.  :)  So far 960 meals and snacks have been provided in only 4 months.  

I am still okay doing it all by myself, but if it grows more I will need help with everything, especially the stuffing and carrying the backpacks.  They are quite heavy, especially the first weekend of each month when I add a big jar of peanut butter and a big jelly too, enough to last the whole month.  :)  

Please help me feed these little Munchkins, if you find it in your heart.  :)  All of this is done from donations only and every penny goes directly into buying food for the kids.  Money donations are wonderful, so I can go and buy the food as it is needed to stuff the backpacks.  I don't have too much storage space or big shelves.  For those of you who would like to donate food I have a wish list I can email to you, just let me know.  

Thank you for your kind help always !!   :)  

Many Blessings to each and everyone of you !!  

Amazing Numbers

It amazes me how many meals were provided in such a short time.  :)  It only has been three months since  beginning this project and there have been almost 700 meals given to the Munchkins already.   :)   It makes my heart sing.  :)

This week one of the other parents at the school donated a bunch of apple sauce cups.  That was a kind surprise and felt really sweet to receive.  :)

There are not many stories to share, as I just drop off the backpacks every Friday and normally don't see the Munchkins.  I wish I had more stories to tell.  I am still unable to post photos onto my blog and have tried everything I could possibly think of to figure it out. There are some pictures I would like you to see.  :)

Thank you each and everyone of you for donating food or money, without you I could not do this !!  :)  I am ever so grateful and hold you all in my heart !!  :)

Karin

Thank You Everyone !!

It now has been two months already since my beginning the "Food Blessings in a Backpack" and 452 meals have been provided so far to the Munchkins at "Outer Limits School".  :)

What a joy it is to do this and the gratitude received is immense !!  :)   I just love the notes from the parents and some from the kids too, and the thank you phone calls.  It nurtures and wants me to do more !!  :)  I sneak candy in the backpacks and other little treats and I feel like a sneaky lil' grandma then.  :)  :)

At times I get stories from the staff or the parents.  Blanca and Mini, who work the front desk at Outer Limits School, told me that some of the children start asking on Wednesday if they get their backpack today??  Of course they are told, not until Friday.  So on Thursday they come back and ask again if it is Friday yet?? No, not until tomorrow.  :)  I can just picture it all !!  :)

One grandma told me that her two grandsons empty everything out on the floor when they come to her house after school on Friday and then just get so excited about it all.   :)  It has become a weekly ritual.  And they are always so proud to carry their backpacks home.  :)

A 10 year old girl hand-made the sweetest Thank You card from her and her lil' brother.  I will try to post it after this entry.  :)

Got to go for now, will write more later, after I figure out how to post the pictures on here.  :)

A Beautiful Thank You Card

The very first Backpacks

Outer Limits School

It is time to begin my new project after having stopped feeding the homeless this January and having had some time to catch up with other things in life.

This week I spoke with the owner of "Outer Limits School" on Fort Lowell Road, here in Tucson, about my providing weekend backpacks filled with food for needy children and Bill was as excited about it as I am.  :) So we are going forward with my new project and I am thrilled.  :)   "Outer Limits" is a Pre-school and a Daycare also, so there are children year around.  :)

For those of you who have never heard of the Backpack Project, it is to provide children of need every week with a backpack filled with breakfasts, lunches and snacks on Fridays, enough for Saturday and Sunday.  Every Monday the children return the empty backpacks to school and it all repeats itself on Friday again.  Children normally get breakfast and lunch at school during the week, but many Munchkins don't get the nourishment their little brains need on weekends and so many children don't learn well on Mondays.  This project will cover the gap.  :)

I am beginning with about 15 - 20 children and then let it grow from there, depending on the donations that come in.  :)

Humbly I am asking for your support for donations of specific food items that are needed. I have a Wish List put together, just email me and I will send it to you.   :)

Monetary donations are also very much appreciated, as I am starting this from scratch.  It is less expensive to purchase the food in bulk from CostCo, for instance, or a food supply company.  :)  Each and every penny will go towards the food and supplies needed for this !!  I am not interested in keeping any of the donations, other than for gasoline for all the running around done for this.

Thank you for your loving and kind support !!  :)  I am ever so grateful for each of you being on this path with me !!  :)

Karin

LKarinElliott@aol.com

L. Karin Elliott
3364 E. Popinac Loop
Tucson, AZ 85716
520-326-2236