“A thousand thanks; I’ve been saving up to buy detergent and cleaning supplies. Now I can use that money for food.” — single mother of four who received cleaning supplies from our Simple Household Needs program. Her only cleaning supplies were some soap and an old broom.
UPCOMING DONATION DRIVE!
Our next monthly Donation Drive is Sat., April 21, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at our Marietta warehouse. We are in need of gently used or new microwaves or toaster ovens. Also, toasters and other kitchen items.
If you can’t make it on April 21st, don’t forget that we have added a Donation Drive (same time and location) on the first Saturday of every month as well. Next month that first-Saturday drive will be on May 5(Happy Cinco de Mayo!), followed by the regular third-Saturday drive on May 19. Mark your calendars!
Right now we’re very low on some much-needed items for our clients (gently used items, please; no stains or damage.). These include:
- Trashcans
- New mops and brooms
- drinking glasses and dish sets
- DVD players
- Shower curtains
- Queen mattresses/box springs and twin mattresses (a $75 donation can buy a new twin mattress!)
- Dressers and chests of drawers
For a full list of needed items, please click here. Specific needs for our My Birthday Matters program are posted on our SignUpGenius.
Email brenda@simpleneedsga.orgif you have anything to donate at this time. For large furniture, please email photos; we will arrange for you to drop off or for us to pick up (in Cobb County). Thank you for your support!
STILL LOOKING FOR A NEW FURNITURE-STORAGE SPACE
The space we use to store furniture for our Simple Household Needs program is, unfortunately, no longer available to us after this month. (The Marietta church that had been allowing us to pay below-market rent recently sold the property).
We have to move everything out of the furniture space by the end of this month. We are considering moving to a few larger storage units but that is financially prohibitive to do for too long.
If you happen to know of any possible alternatives in our area, please let us know!
The space needs to be big enough to store mattresses and furniture and should have enough access to accommodate box trucks. We currently have 1300 square feet. The trick is that we’ll need to pay below-market rent.
The furniture is incredibly important for our clients. They are often sleeping on air mattresses that SNGA loans to them until they receive beds. It’s also not unusual for them to have no kitchen tables, sofas or chairs in their homes. If you have any ideas on a replacement space, please email brenda@simpleneedsga.org.
SAVE THE DATE: OUR OPEN HOUSE IS APRIL 28
We’re having our Open House on April 28 and would be thrilled if you could join us. (If you did not receive the Evite, please let us know.)
Drop by our Marietta warehouse that Saturday any time between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. We’ll be giving tours, while talking about our programs and what you can do to help our families. Some clients will be there to share their stories with you. And, of course, we will have some yummy snacks available.
If you have friends or colleagues who have expressed interest in our mission, it’s a great time to bring them by to learn more about how our work benefits people in need in our community.
THE BEST KIND OF SPRING BREAK PARTY…
When most of us think of college kids on Spring Break, helping others isn’t exactly what comes to mind! 😀
But that’s exactly what about 30 students from James Madison University in Harrisonburg, Va., had in mind for their Alternative Spring Break this year in metro Atlanta. Over a period of three days, JMU students, all part of JMU’s Student Ambassador program, came to Simple Needs GA’s Marietta warehouse to help us with various tasks. They volunteered, not only with SNGA, but also with several other Atlanta-area nonprofits, having driven to Georgia in two 12-passenger vans. Very inspiring! Thanks JMU! 
PROGRAM SNAPSHOT: SIMPLE HOUSEHOLD NEEDS (CLEANING SUPPLIES)
For most of us, household cleaning supplies are an afterthought—something we pick up at Kroger or Walmart and never stop to appreciate.
But think about what it would be like to lack these basics? It’s exactly what many people in need in our community regularly experience. As the opening quote of this newsletter makes clear, they often just don’t have the money to buy cleaning supplies, which aren’t covered by food stamps.
Our Simple Household Needs program is best known for providing people in need with furniture and small household items. But it also our supplies ‘cleaning kits’ to help families sanitize and dignify their surroundings. Our donors and volunteers buy or donate the components for the kits, which are new laundry baskets filled with paper towels, glass cleaner, Spic & Span, a utility pail, bathroom tissue, laundry detergent, Comet, a toilet bowl brush, sponges, dish detergent, a brush/dust pan, disinfectant spray, a dish brush, and toilet bowl cleaner.
Social workers help us distribute these kits to families. They also go to our furniture clients and to several agencies that shelter clients in apartments (such as LiveSAFE Resources).
Thanks all of your help with our programs. They really make a difference in our community!
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Donate online here. Donations can be sent to Simple Needs GA, Inc., P.O. Box 670265, Marietta, GA 30066.
To volunteer as an individual, company, church or other organization, contact us at info@simpleneedsga.org. Visit our volunteer page for more info.
smile.amazon.com is a great way to support SNGA. Just sign up for the program and choose Simple Needs GA from the list. After that, AmazonSmile will donate to SNGA each time you make a purchase! Just remember to go to the smile.amazon.com portal before you do your shopping!
Check out how you can support us in similar fashion by signing up for Kroger Community Rewards!
Simple Needs GA 