“I want to thank you and your volunteers so much for such wonderful gifts for my son. He really enjoyed his books! May all of you be blessed for putting such a big smile on his face on his birthday!”
–furniture client after one of her sons received his presents from our My Birthday Matters program.
“You really outdid yourself! I’m so grateful and happy for everything! I love everything!”
–former shelter resident whose family received a delivery from our Simple Household Needs volunteers.
NEXT DONATION DRIVE IS OCT. 20!
A chill is in the air! Time to start collecting winter outerwear once again. Our next monthly Donation Drive is Sat., Oct. 20, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at our Marietta warehouse.
If you can’t make it on Oct. 20, we’ll have drives next month on Nov. 3 and Nov. 17 (Nov. 17 is also our open house). Mark your calendars!
In addition to outdoor winterwear for people of all ages and sizes, our clients need:
BRAND NEW: mops and brooms, boy’s socks for ages 5 and up, books for tweens, small “shopping” bags to put smaller items in for kids who are in pre-K or younger (older kids get backpacks), Amazon Fire 7 tablets (when you see them on sale).
NEW OR GENTLY USED:Curtain rods, DVD players, dish sets (no random dishes or glasses needed), crockpots, toaster ovens, toasters, pots and pans, baking pans/cookie sheets, large serving bowls, shower rings, kitchen scissors, pot holders and trivets, can openers, water pitchers, measuring spoons and cups (small or large), hand towels, bath rugs, sheets (esp. full), blankets of all sizes, comforters (esp. twin, queen, king), air mattresses, mattress pads (all sizes esp. queen).
CURRENT FURNITURE NEEDS (NEW OR GENTLY USED): mattresses and box springs, kitchen tables and chairs, dressers or chests of drawers, TV stands, nightstands, coffee tables, end tables, small desks and bookshelves.
If you would like to donate larger (essential) furniture, please email photos to brenda@simpleneedsga.org. If you can deliver, GREAT! If not, include address as well (Cobb County only).
One of our goals for our furniture clients is for them to not spend too many nights sleeping on the floor. We do not receive enough donations of mattresses and box springs, so we often need to purchase them.We welcome financial contributions toward the purchase of those. Donate here.
Additional donor resources:
SNGA client Amazon Wish List
Our updated list of client needs
List of what SNGA clients are offered
A WARM GIFT FROM THE DAVIS ACADEMY
The Davis Academyin Sandy Springs recently collected more than 160coats of all sizes, as well as bags of hats, scarves, gloves and socks, for Simple Needs GA’s clients. Check out our blog post to read more about this fantastic donation, which will go a long way toward keeping our clients warm and cozy this winter!
A VERY SPECIAL (ANONYMOUS) DONOR
A steady stream of boxes has been showing up on the doorstep of Brenda Rhodes, SNGA Founder and Executive Director, for the past few months.
The items for SNGA clients have included floor lamps, sheets, crockpots, pillows, ironing boards and irons, kitchen garbage cans, vacuums, toasters, shower rings and curtains, cutlery, toys, stuffed animals, craft books and even Amazon Fire tablets. “We’re not just talking about one or two of each item,” Brenda said. “There were 16 floor lamps!”
And they all came from the same donor. “This particular person has been ordering almost every needed item I’ve posted on Facebook lately,” Brenda said. “She’s just amazing.”
While the donor wants to remain anonymous, we thought we’d thank her in the newsletter, anyway! We also wanted to share her story.
In 1977, the donor was four years old when she moved with her family from India to Canada. Her parents, whose business in India had recently gone under, arrived in their new country with just $80 in their pockets. The donor, who now lives in East Cobb, says she will never forgot the generosity others showed her family during its time of need. “We lived with my aunt and uncle for four or five months when we came to Canada,” she recalled. “I remember people donating used furniture and mattresses to us when we moved into our first one-bedroom apartment.”
Her parents, she says, taught her the value of hard work and stressed the importance of education. “Now they can retire very comfortably,” the donor explained, “and I feel like it’s my time to give back.”
Thanks so much to this donor—you know who you are!—for your incredible generosity. You’re making a real difference in the lives of our clients!
DIAPER DAY REMINDER
Diaper Day is Mon., Oct. 29. Please consider helping out! See their Amazon Wish List. SNGA is one of the agencies that receives some of the diapers.
GO KIWANIS!
The board for the Kiwanis Club of Marietta, Golden K, recently voted to sponsor Simple Needs GA in a major way. “We will be getting $4,000 per year from the club to support our programs for children and families in need in Cobb County,” Brenda explained. “They have donated to us in the past, but we were floored when Pat Abbott contacted us to tell us about the quarterly, $1,000 sponsorships. We are truly honored!”
At SNGA, we’re huge fans of the great work our local Kiwanis clubs do in the community. It includes things like supporting the Georgia Special Olympics Winter Games in Marietta or the Lost Mountain Golf Tournament, awarding scholarships, supporting educational programs and, of course, donating to local nonprofits.
Brenda is a charter member of the Mountain View Professionals Kiwanis Club, a so-called 123 Club that meets in the evenings. The group recently got together to make no-sew blankets for SNGA’s My Birthday Matters program.
Way to leverage your connections, Brenda! 😀
Thanks again to the wonderful folks at Kiwanis!
ANOTHER SUCCESSFUL HOA DAY
On Oct. 6, we had another fantastic Hands on Atlanta Daywith volunteers from First Data(a regular contributor to SNGA) as well as new volunteers from Imerys S.A., a French multinational company that specializes in the production and processing of industrial minerals.
“The volunteers got a lot done—from the many Comfort Kits they put together, to the cleaning kits, to clothes-sorting, program supply organizing and much more,” Brenda said. “It was especially great seeing the ‘repeat offenders.’ ”
“The First Data team really enjoyed volunteering at Simple Needs GA and was so impressed with all the amazing work that you and your team do for so many people in Cobb County—simply amazing!” said Katie Lefebvre, Vice President, Relationship Executive. “We were honored to play a small part in this great effort. We look forward to the next opportunity to work with you and your fine team.”
The feeling is mutual, Katie! Thanks so much to all of the volunteers and board members who came out on Oct. 6. You can watch a short YouTube video with some pics here.
BIG BLANKET HAUL—THANKS TO RACETRAC!
Under the leadership of CEO Allison Moran, locally based c-store chain RaceTrac is a strong supporter of a wide range of charitable causes. This past September about 50 employees at RaceTrac’s Store Support Center in Smyrna spent a couple of hours putting together dozens of new-sew blankets for the homeless children who receive them via our My Birthday Matters program.
Wilson Wood, Specialist (pictured), Marketing Partnerships & Projects, delivered the blankets during our donation drive and volunteer day on Oct. 6.
“We were so excited to get those blankets!” Brenda said. “In fact, some of our volunteers who were working on birthdays didn’t quite have the right blankets until Wilson saved the day with the big delivery. We can’t thank RaceTrac enough! We really appreciate their ongoing support!”
EAGLES AT THE WAREHOUSE
Another shout out goes to the 14 Georgia Southern University alumni(pictured) who volunteered at our Marietta warehouse on Sept. 22 as part of GSU’s National Alumni Day of Service.
The former Eagles sorted donations, organized blankets, prepared birthday gifts and prepped Comfort Kits. It was their first time volunteering with Simple Needs GA, said Emily McDonald, who learned about SNGA because her church is involved with the Family Promise of Cobb County shelter program.
SNGA collaborates with Family Promise by supplying Comfort Kits for its residents as well as celebrating kids’ birthdays. When the families find a new home, they become furniture clients as well.
The volunteers did a great job and were a joy to work with, Brenda said. “We were so lucky to have their help,” she said. “The Eagles are welcome back anytime!”
NEXT OPEN HOUSE IS NOV. 17
Mark your calendar—the next open house at our Marietta warehouse will be Nov. 17 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. We hope you’ll stop by the warehouse to chat, grab a bite to eat, meet some clients and talk about our mission. We’re also planning to have a very special holiday event—giving our clients a chance to have their kids photographed with Santa for free! 😀
Email Brenda@simpleneedsga.orgif you have questions or need the address!
We hope to see you there!
SNGA WELCOMES NEW BOARD MEMBERS!
Please join is in welcoming two awesome new members of Simple Needs GA’s Board of Directors: Nancy Riley and Jen Sypeck. “Both Nancy and Jen have been incredibly helpful to Simple Needs GA as volunteers and are a joy to work with,” Brenda said. “We’re thrilled to welcome them to our board. Their broad volunteering experience and diverse skills are already coming in handy. Thanks so much to Jen and Nancy for pitching in as part of our board!”
UH OH. OUR FURNITURE RENT HAS TRIPLED.
Our rent for furniture storage space has more than tripled—but in a good way.
Due to the large increase in furniture clients, Brenda explains, we are spending much more money on truck rentals and labor than we did last year. The long and the short of it: We need to ramp up our donations to offset these costs. One great way to do that is through monthly or otherwise recurring donations from regular contributors. You can support SNGA by setting up a monthly donation, either electronically or by check. We call it our Simply Caring campaign. For info on how to donate, click here.
Simple Needs GA 