The big packing party is this week. I’m a little scared. I’ve never done a packing party for 600 boxes before. Last year we did 300 boxes. That was fun, but a lot of work. This year we are setting up a day early so I can see if there are any needs I missed. I have a few gift certificates left to pick up any last minute things. I will be packing up the trailer today…..wish me luck!
Last minute purchases:
I still needed pens, so I found a seller on Amazon that was selling 1,000 misprinted pens for $43 including shipping. They arrived Friday and they are NICE! Yay! They were cheaper than the pencils I ordered. Yes, I had to order pencils. I didn’t have the money or enough gift certificates during the school supply sales. Also, I didn’t have good luck finding large quantities of supplies this year. Most of my purchases had to be broken up into running to several stores. I hate to shop. Did I ever mention that? I hate to shop. I am a homebody. I prefer to sit at home an read and order whatever I may need through Amazon. Shoebox shopping puts me into several stores several times a week. I don’t like it, but I do it for the kids receiving the shoeboxes.
One of the life groups at my church is going to bring in filler items for the boxes too. That is such a HUGE blessing! I spend most of the year buying the general items for the boxes and when I have extra money or can’t find my items on sale, then I go looking for the fillers. The fillers are what makes the boxes more unique. Every box gets a toothbrush, notebook, pens, pencils, etc., but the fillers make it personal. I love watching the kids pack their boxes with the regular items and then get to the end to pick out something special for their box. They spend a lot of thought on what to put in the box. I usually hear things like, “They need a shirt.” or “This art kit is really needs to be in this box.”. I am praying we have enough filler items to make the boxes special and full!
Updated numbers:
spiral notebooks 600+ complete
crayons/markers 600+ complete
washcloths 600+ complete
toothbrushes 600+ complete
combs 600+ complete
toothpaste 600+ complete
stuffed animals 600+ complete
stuffed animals 600+ complete
soap 600+ complete
pens 1700+ complete
pencils 3091+ complete
candy 221 / need 379 more
pencil sharpeners 434 / need 166 more (I need to check these. I think I may have more, but I am not sure.)
Fillers :
girls 2-4 78 / need 200
girls 5-9 146 / need 200
girls 10-14 104 / need 200
boys 2-4 37 / need 200
boys 5-9 241 complete
boys 10-14 35 / need 200
generic fillers 61 / need 600-1200
I had a donation of generic party items leftover from a Halloween party that will be counted and added to the collection. My numbers are not looking real great for fillers, but I can’t get to the boxes right now to see if I added something to the boxes and forgot to update the total. All my filler boxes are buried behind the soaps, notebooks and toothpaste boxes. I have to finish bagging the candy I purchased after Halloween. I had never gone out the day after Halloween to purchase candy before. I SCORED! Lots of great candy for half off! Woo hoo!
Ok. My brain is overloaded with all the work I have to do and all the things I still haven’t got yet for the boxes. I need to go pray and calm my heart.
Be blessed!
Giving Mom