Our "Blessings Bags" Playdate

How often have you seen a person sitting along the side of the road, holding a sign, dirty, disheveled, downtrodden?  Ever wanted to do something for him/her?  How often have you been approached by one of these people, and felt a little hesitant to just hand over money?  Ever wanted to hand over something that might be used in a better way?  I'd been wanting to do something different for awhile, and my answer came in the form of blessings bags.  They are plastic bags filled with a few necessities that I can keep in my car and hand out when I see a need.  I invited a few friends and their kids to participate, since it's easy for kids to pack the bags.  Everyone signed up to bring a few items, and we each went home with around seven or eight bags.  Some examples of items that work well include travel sized toiletries (shampoo, conditioner, soap, toothpaste, deodorant, lotion, etc.), disposable razors, toothbrushes, lip balm, socks, hand warmers, wet wipes, Kleenex, ready to eat food (individually wrapped peanut butter, candy bars, granola bars, applesauce, crackers, tuna, etc.), McDonald's giftcards, juice boxes, and small water bottles.  Organizing Made Fun's post here and Balancing Beauty and Bedlam's post here gave me a bunch of ideas. As for our bags?  They're all sitting in the back of our van right now, just waiting 'til we find someone to give them to! 

Two tables full of necessities, unpacked and laid out for little hands to grasp.

All our completed bags!