We hope you’ll consider stopping by our Marietta warehouse on Sat., May 20, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. to be a part of our monthly donation drive. Even if you don’t have any donations, we welcome you to stop by for a tour.

Your new or gently used donations can make a big difference. Our greatest needs right now are sheets (especially twin and queen), microwaves, new pillows, shower curtains, toaster ovens, vacuum cleaners, baby wipes, diapers size newborn-2, pots and pans, trash cans, twin/full/queen/king blankets, queen comforters, toasters, DVD players, TVs and smaller kitchen essentials such as measuring cups and can openers. For a limited time, we are also accepting kids’ clothing for winter and summer.

For a full list of items that our clients need, please click here.

We are happy to announce we’re collaborating with the Kiwanis Club by collecting shoes! Any size, any condition, as long as there are no holes in the soles.

We also need gently used (no damage or stains) dressers, mattresses/box springs (especially two xl twin box springs to go with a king mattress in our inventory), small desks, washers/dryers (no front loaders) and other furniture. Please send photos to Brenda@simpleneedsga.org if you have any of these items to donate; we will arrange for drop off or pick up.

‘IT’S SO GOOD TO SEE THE KIDS SMILE. THEY HAVEN’T SMILED THIS MUCH IN A LONG TIME.’

That’s what the friend of a family in need said to us after driving the family to our Marietta warehouse to pick up some badly needed items. Later that evening, the single dad, who had not overheard this comment, said almost the same thing: “The kids really smiled tonight.”

Can you imagine being in such tough circumstances that seeing your kids smile struck you as unusual?

We were so happy to help this gracious and kind family. Thanks to your amazing generosity, they were able to pick out household items, a cleaning kit, school uniforms, toiletries and more. We even put together My Birthday Matters packages for the kids. Later, one of our donors bought this family a bunk bed with a twin mattress on top and a full mattress on the bottom. The brand-new bed has been shipped to the family’s house! And volunteers delivered all their other furniture as well. They are all SO thankful!

We love what we do! Thanks so much for making it possible.

THANKS TO ST. CATHERINE’S OF SIENA AND ALSO MOUNT BETHEL ELEMENTARY’S GIRL SCOUT TROOP 14382

SNGA Founder Brenda Rhodes recently gave a presentation at St. Catherine’s of Siena Catholic School in Kennesaw, where students celebrated a day of prayer and service by working on projects for SNGA and other organizations. Click here to read more!

Special thanks, too, go to Girl Scout Troop 14382 of Mount Bethel Elementary. Members of the troop recently worked on their community service badges by putting together much-needed school-supply packs for SNGA’s My Birthday Matters program.

Monica Bright, a social worker for Cobb County Schools whose daughter belongs to the troop, helped the kids put together the packs. They included items such as “Johnny Bravo” and “TOP Cat” jump drives, along with colored pencils, markers, pencil sharpeners and a deck of cards.

“One of my favorite things in the world is to see the smiling faces of kids who are learning the joy of service by contributing to Simple Needs GA,” Brenda said. “Thanks so much to Monica and St. Catherine’s!”

GREAT TO SEE EVERYONE AT OUR OPEN HOUSE!

Thanks so much to everyone who came out for our Open House on Sat., April 29, when our visitors were able to see firsthand what we do. At this most recent Open House, three of our former furniture clients dropped by with their kids (not to mention a cute Chihuahua named Bubbles) to hang out and share stories about how SNGA has improved their lives.

One of our guests came by specifically to speak face-to-face with these clients. After hearing their stories, she wrote us a check for $300! A couple of other visitors made generous donations as well.

During the three-hour event, SNGA board members gave tours of the space to show off the Comfort Kits, cleaning supplies, toys and birthday inventory, no-sew blankets, winter gear and other life-improving items we routinely provide to people in need across Cobb County. For some of the newcomers, the warehouse tours were eye opening. They made comments such “this is so organized,” “I didn’t realize you did all of this,” or “I now know exactly what to donate to you.” On one table, we displayed examples of some typical items a child might receive as part of our My Birthday Matters program. Visitors touring the space were impressed; several said something along the lines of “Wow! They get all that?”

The event was such a success that we agreed to do another one in the fall. We hope to see you then!

SNGA WINS $9K GRANT FROM CCF!

For the third year in a row, Simple Needs GA has received a generous grant from the Cobb Community Foundation! The funding will go toward birthday presents, new shoes and food for children, as well as duffel bags filled with full-sized toiletries for people living in Cobb County shelters. Click here to read our press release about the grant. Thanks, CCF!

The difference you’re making—one family at a time

Before I tell you about our upcoming donation day on April 16 and some other Simple Needs GA news, I wanted to share a story that illustrates how your support is truly making a difference in the lives of families in need.

Last year, we helped a woman and her family by providing them with beds and furniture and also giving her daughter birthday gifts. Later, the mom told us about her super-sweet, 15-year-old son: He was about to go back to school, she explained, but was embarrassed because his clothes and shoes were so old. Our supporter Jody provided the funding, and Lauren did the shopping and delivery—and so this young man was able to go back to school with his head held high.

When it was time for his birthday in February, we provided him with the electronics and other gifts he wanted but, again, could not afford. (Thanks so much to Bobbi and Kim for buying those!) Later, we helped the young man get a uniform so that he could participate in the track and field team at his school (thanks to Melanie!).

What if we hadn’t been there? I typically try not to think too hard about all the tremendous need in our community. Here at Simple Needs GA, we always wish we could do more, but of course we can’t do it all. Still, it really is wonderful to think about the help we are able to provide to individuals and families in Cobb County. On a material level, yes, it’s about meeting specific, concrete needs. On a deeper level, though, it’s about showing love and kindness in ways that create lifelong memories for givers and receivers alike!

Thanks so much for all you do for Simple Needs GA!

Our next donation drive is Sat., April 16!

Simple Needs GA’s next monthly donation drive is Sat., April 16, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., at our Marietta warehouse. We would love it if you could join us!

A great way to find out about specific needed items is to visit our new SignUp Genius page. So far we have posted items needed for several programs (plus some needs for agencies with which we collaborate). We’re using the page to coordinate specific gift purchases for our My Birthday Matters program, geared toward children and teenagers who are homeless.

For our Simple Household Needs program, we are seeking additional donations of gently used furniture with no damage. In particularly, we need full and queen mattresses; twin box springs; any size frames; dining tables (with or without chairs); couches and loveseats; nightstands; end tables; coffee tables, and desks. We can take other furniture as well, but we do have some storage space constraints. If you have a large piece of furniture you’d like to donate, please email brenda@simpleneedsga.org (include photos) so we can discuss the details.

Other needed items include pillows (new), silverware, queen and king sheets, blankets, microwaves, washers/dryers, vacuums, trashcans and computers.

You can see an updated list of all of our needed items here. More details on our Simple Household Needs program are available here.

Feel free to bring smaller items by our warehouse on April 16! If you have any questions or need the address of our warehouse, email brenda@simpleneedsga.org.

Kids’ birthdays can be a lesson in giving, too.

In parts of Cobb County that are blessed by prosperity, birthdays can be … well, a little much. The parents throw a party at someplace like Andretti’s or Monkey Joe’s and invite 10, 15 or even 20 kids to join the fun. Naturally, the parents of these invitees all feel obligated to buy presents—typically, brand-new toys—to bring to the party. But of course, the birthday boy or girl is already getting lots of stuff from Mom, Dad, the grandparents and other relatives. The result? Way too many presents. (Kids might argue with this idea, of course.)

Recognizing that this situation can be a bit imbalanced, some parents have chosen to work with their kids to use their birthdays as an opportunity for giving back. Check out our recent blog post about how six-year-old Bryce made a big contribution to Simple Needs GA. If you’d like to do the same with your child, email brenda@simpleneedsga.org.

Thanks!

Does your company give?

To increase our chances of winning the Cobb Community Foundation Impact Grant, we are asking for donations to match that amount. We need $ 6,000 more matched by September 30, preferably in the form of larger donations of $500 and up. If your company, or you personally, can help us out by donating (or pledging) funding that we can count toward that $10K, we would truly appreciate it. It’s really like doubling your gift!

 

Ways you can help: giving via Kroger and Amazon

Just by using their Kroger Plus Cards, a total of 15 households are now contributing to SNGA each time they shop for groceries. (This added up to $50 for the last quarter. Not bad.) The cool thing is that this costs Kroger shoppers nothing at all–the donation comes from Kroger. Click here for instructions on signing up for Kroger Community Rewards. What a great program!

Also, 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! BTW, check out our Twitter feed to see our recent contributions to AmazoneSmile’s #StartWithASmile campaign. It highlights the work of nonprofits from all across the country. Huge thanks to our dedicated volunteer Allison Sternberg, a social media specialist, for helping us become a more active voice on Twitter. Very cool!

Thanks so much for your support of people in need!

 

Those men were great that picked up my furniture. Will recommend that business to everyone. God bless them. — one of our furniture donors, after a pro-bono pickup from her home by TWO MEN AND A TRUCK®.

If you’ve ever helped a friend move, you know it isn’t an easy task. But imagine picking up and delivering furniture from eleven different families in one day!

That’s precisely what deliverymen from the Woodstock location of TWO MEN AND A TRUCK® did for Simple Needs GA (SNGA) on Wed, Jan 13. A huge shout out to Kevin and Brendan for being so professional and efficient as they picked up, and later delivered to our storage space, multiple mattresses, box springs, chests of drawers, sofas and other household items for recipients of our Simple Household Needs program.

And of course, we also owe a big debt of gratitude to Ryan Dieck, manager of the company’s Woodstock location at 100 Arnold Mill Rd. Mr. Dieck has kindly agreed to periodically help SNGA with pickups and deliveries. This is a huge help to us. We love giving furniture to families in need. However, the logistics of this is one of our biggest challenges, in part because we don’t have a box truck of our own.

“We strive to team up with local 501(c)(3) organizations to help out in any way we can,” Ryan said. “The owner of our franchise has multiple locations within the state of Georgia, and all of the sales managers at these locations regularly work with nonprofits.”

In fact, it’s all part of a company-wide trend. TWO MEN AND A TRUCK® franchisees all over the country frequently dedicate both time and money to area charities, though it’s not a requirement.

The founder of TWO MEN AND A TRUCK®, Mary Ellen Sheets, has spent her entire life volunteering and is a longtime supporter of many organizations, including Habitat for Humanity, United Way of America, and the YMCA. When she started the company 30 years ago, Sheets and her sons made a $1,000 profit in the first year. They decided to give it all away in the form of $100 donations to 10 different local charities. Giving is a huge part of the company culture at TWO MEN AND A TRUCK®.”

Isn’t that cool? We can’t thank them enough!