Donation Drive this Saturday (Oct. 19)!

“I want to thank you for my birthday gifts. I know my mom is going through a hard time right now and I did not expect to even get anything. We are very grateful. You do a very good thing for people like us.”
—Handwritten note from a teenage boy living in a shelter; he received requested items for his birthday this past September via our My Birthday Matters program.

 

“From the bottom of my heart I am grateful for loving people who give to bring joy to others. Without your vision, love and blessing, my children, as well as others, would be without hope and joy. So thank you. I pray that one day I am able to give back and pay it forward.”
—Mom staying at a local shelter whose children received birthday gifts from Simple Needs GA.

Greetings, all.
Our next monthly Donation Drive is Sat., Oct. 19, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at our Marietta warehouse. Email brenda@simpleneedsga.org for the address or if you have any questions.

If you can’t make it on Oct. 19, the next donation drives are on Nov. 2 and Nov. 16. Mark your calendars!

Top needs right now are:
BRAND NEW
• Kitchen trash cans
• Birthday wrapping paper
• Walmart gift cards for $25
• Mops
• Women’s size 7 underwear

NEW OR GENTLY USED
• TVs (cable-ready and not too large/heavy – tube or flat screen)
• Bunk beds
• Mattress pads
• Queen sheets
• Queen and twin comforters
• Vacuums
• DVD players
• Crockpots
• Microwaves
• Toasters
• Toaster ovens
• Coffee makers
• Casserole dishes (with lids preferred)
• Floor lamps

Full list:
https://simpleneedsgablog.com/drives/

CALL FOR WINTER WEAR FOR OUR CLIENTS
With our fall donation drives in full swing, we’re now starting to collect coats, gloves, mittens, hats, scarves and other winter wear for our clients, as well as winter supplies like candles and sleeping bags for those who live in the woods. We especially need coats for boys (all sizes).

We take new and gently used, clean items. One way to increase your impact is to hold a drive among your friends, family, or neighborhood and church groups. You can collect the items on your own timetable and bring them to one of our donation drives on the first and third Saturdays of every month. But time is of the essence—the mercury will be dropping soon. Thanks!

ALL HANDS ON DECK!
We had a great Hands on Atlanta Day on Oct. 5th, with 36 volunteers from Fiserv (formerly First Data), a global provider of technology solutions to the financial world, along with several Simple Needs GA board members and regular volunteers.

“It was a very productive day; a lot was done in a short period of time,” said Brenda Rhodes, SNGA Founder and President. “Fiserv volunteers worked with team leads to sort clothing, assemble cleaning kits, put together Comfort Kits, organize different spaces at the warehouse, and more. Thanks to all of those who came out to lend a hand!”

Fiserv has been a consistent contributor to SNGA, both at annual Hands on Atlanta Days and by doing things like contributing cleaning kits for our clients. “We really appreciate Fiserv’s support of our mission,” Brenda said.

GA GIVES DAY/#GIVING TUESDAY—GET READY FOR THE (SOCIAL MEDIA) BLITZ! 😀
GA Gives on #GivingTuesday is coming up on Dec. 3, and Simple Needs GA will once again participate in the fast-growing campaign.

GAgives is an initiative of the Georgia Center for Nonprofits that has raised more than $28 million from 160,000 people since its start in 2012. The idea is to help nonprofits across the state by catalyzing donations during peak giving season.

To participate in the GAgives campaign, nonprofits set up a fundraising profile through GAgives.org. Here’s our profile page, which is already accepting donations:

https://www.gagives.org/organization/Simple-Needs-Ga

#GivingTuesday was started by different organizations and bills itself as “a global day of giving fueled by the power of social media and collaboration.” Since #GivingTuesday actually happens during the GAgives annual campaign, the Georgia Center for Nonprofits a few years ago rebranded its effort as “GAgives on #GivingTuesday.”

If you use our GAgives link to make a donation on Dec. 3, you can boost SNGA’s odds of winning prizes that could help us reach even more people in need.

Stay tuned for more info!

MORE SHOUT-OUTS…
• A great way you can help support our programs is by holding a Facebook birthday or other fundraiser. Thanks to Sharon Menear and Patrick Bordelon, Powder Springs City Councilman, for their recent SNGA birthday fundraisers!

• Gratitude, also, to Becky Shipley, Group Vice President, McCleskey-East Cobb & Northeast Cobb YMCA, for signing up Day of Service volunteers to put together My Birthday Matters no-sew blankets for homeless children. SNGA volunteer Jan Shearin (“The Blanket Lady”) helped Becky and the volunteers churn out lots of fluffy blankets for our clients. “We are so pleased to be a part of the Service Day,” Brenda said. “The volunteers also put together some school supply kits for our birthday kids, which we really appreciate!”

• We also received some valuable help once again from KSU’s Minorities in Medicine (MIM) group. On Sept. 28, students from MIM came out to our warehouse to volunteer. Bryan Okosun, a junior biology major minoring in chemistry, organized the event as the volunteer chair for KSU’s MIM chapter. “We have volunteered with your organization in the past and loved it!” he said. The organization’s mission is to empower and enlighten minorities in medicine by exposing them to resources and opportunities that will help them succeed. The group gives them access to beneficial networking opportunities, workshops and experiences and promotes academic excellence, scholarly behavior and individual growth.

• Lastly, thanks so much to Ginny, James and all of the other volunteers from Circle K Kiwanis; these old friends pitched in at our warehouse on Sept. 28, and we really enjoyed rolling up our sleeves and getting to work with them. And we truly appreciate the First United Methodist Church of Marietta for including us as a project for its Day of Service on Oct. 12. It was a very productive morning with wonderful folks!

CALL FOR FURNITURE VOLUNTEERS!
Demand for our furniture program is running high. We need more help from people who own pickup trucks and/or have the ability to move furniture.

It takes a lot of time and work to run the program. More hands mean faster results for our clients. If you’d like to help out with transport–or burn off some calories–on a Saturday by pitching in, we’d love to have you.

For more info, email brenda@simpleneedsga.org

THANKS SO MUCH FOR YOUR SUPPORT OF PEOPLE IN NEED!