Simple Needs GA (SNGA) is blessed to partner with some incredible organizations. On October 28, some great kids from Casa Montessori in Marietta volunteered at our space. They put together toiletry kits, colored birthday cards, cut and tied no-sew blankets, and organized birthday kits. The group also brought a ton of donations of new kids’ underwear and socks, coats, hats, blankets and games. I worked with the group and was very impressed with the students’ abilities, as well as their interest in hearing about those in need. They had a genuine desire to help other children.
Volunteer and Casa Montessori parent Ashley Nolan had contacted me after finding out about SNGA through a friend at church. “I was shocked to hear that there are people living in the woods right around the corner from me,” Ashley said. “It’s one of those things that you hear and just can’t forget.”
Ashley’s family decided to get involved. They started by organizing a coat drive through Casa Montessori and their neighborhood. “It was easy to give away extra jackets,” Ashley said. “I couldn’t stand knowing someone would be living in the elements freezing, while my jacket was just sitting in my closet unused. Our children were excited their coats would go to schoolchildren whose parents could not afford to spend money on this luxury.”
Next, Ashley organized a Cobb County service project for her son’s Casa Montessori class through SNGA. The students decided to gather items that were of particular need for our My Birthday Matters program. “This program in particular resonated with the children,” Ashley said.
As a parent, she says, one of her greatest hopes is that her child will learn to celebrate differences and honor the uniqueness of every person. “We are cultured to believe that poverty exists over there, in some foreign third-world country. And it does. But, it is also here,” she said. “A few miles away from my home someone may have gotten on the wrong path and needs a helping hand, or maybe they just need someone to tell them they matter. It was an honor to serve alongside an organization that is doing just that: meeting people in their greatest need, and offering them a hand.”
Thanks again to these thoughtful and generous volunteers—and thanks to you for your support of people in need!
–Brenda Rhodes
Simple Needs GA 