Bayou Kidz | Donating to Charity

article by Cindy G. Foust

Who doesn’t love a good purge? Right? I’m going straight to it this month, loyal readers, no beating around the bush to find out how everyone is doing and the like. No, we need to get right to business and start cleaning out and purging. I’m not sure what connotation that creates in your mind, friends, but I hope it will motivate and inspire you to grab those big trash bags and head to your closets. Or your kid’s closets, rather. I had a friend tell me a funny story recently, about cleaning out the “toy room” for her kids and it was amusing that every toy she and her five-year-old would move to the “give-away” pile, her little girl would rethink the “gift” and while she wasn’t looking, she would quietly and subtly move it back to the toy closet. It would seem that her little girl wasn’t quite ready to separate from certain toys. 

It reminded me of the time I did this “exercise” (painfully) with my own son, who assured me that he played with all (special emphasis) the things in his toy arsenal and wasn’t really ready to give anything away. Why was I making (another special emphasis) him? I find myself, as I make my way from this season of life to a new chapter, the one where my children are spreading their proverbial wings, really reflecting on my parenting skills. Before you wonder, I’m not in some rabbit hole of parenting shortcomings tallying up my “rights and my wrongs.” But, I do catch myself thinking sometimes, that I wish I had been more intentional about some things, and topping that list is charitable works. 

Simply put…will my children be sensitive to the community needs that are swirling all around? My dad always said to me, “Sister, lead by example.” He meant this in various contexts, of course, not just philanthropy work, but he was very intentional about “loaning” his gifts and talents when they were needed. Most of Daddy’s work was related to his devotion to his church, but that was also a different time. When I hit my adult years, my eyes began to open to the needs in and around the community, and none of us really have to look very far, right? Most agencies will take volunteers at every opportunity, every chance they get. Which brings me back around to the start of this column, because you know sometimes it takes me a minute to get there. 

With this month’s magazine focusing on “cleaning out” and donating to charity, it got my mind to thinking. Should we clean out our closets, garages and under the bed to have a garage sale or sell our wares on Facebook Marketplace? You know that they say, your trash is often someone else’s treasures? Or should we clean out, with our kids involved, and have them ride with us as we donate it to charity? A few years ago, I got the grand idea that I would have a garage sale and did one with some friends for the ole “multi-family” rummage sale. It sounded like a great idea at first, as I began to pull the trash out of every crevice and cranny. A good purge, you hear me? I just know I would make $10,000. At any rate, this brilliant idea nearly cost me my marriage (just kidding, just lots of complaints), my back (couldn’t walk with aches and pains for a few weeks), and had me questioning my common sense. Clearly, at that point I had none. After the sale started, I don’t think I would have expected someone to try and talk me off a 20-cent plate, I mean, how much further can you go down than 20 cents for the love of all things cheap? One lady actually told me “our” prices were too “rich” for her blood, so I clearly didn’t know how to price my “trash” in the $free.98 categories. I did a couple of videos for Facebook live, in an effort to advertise what I thought was a parking lot full of must-haves and lo and behold, I think I netted $300 after I bought my workers a snow-cone. The worst part? I had to listen to my husband tell me, “I told you so.” And so, being the flexible and amenable life partner I am, I admitted rummage sale defeat. I threw in the towel and did what I should I have done from the painful start and that’s donated the rest to charity. Anybody out there in the same rummage sale support group? 

This silly story, one of many attached to my life, made me think about the opportunity I missed, in having my daughter, who still lives at home, help me comb through the treasures and donate them to charity. Even though she’s a little older, our children are never to young to start exposing them to ways for them to give back. Even if it means purging their toy boxes or closets. Teaching them about the less fortunate or sick and using their toys to brighten the lives of these same people is an optimal parenting moment. In researching my column, I found several organizations that might use new (a lot of times our children haven’t even had time to play with them) or gently used toys. Of course, Goodwill, but children’s hospitals, youth rec leagues, schools with pre-K and kindergarten classes, churches and childcare facilities or daycares. I know this list isn’t comprehensive, so forgive any I haven’t mentioned but you get the point. I can’t help but think that everyone wins in this situation…the parents get a good household cleansing and the charity of your choice gets the benefit of your purging session. Well, except our smaller ones who aren’t quite ready to part with their Lego’s set or their Strawberry Shortcake dolls, but at the point they are ready, gather them all up and load them in the car for a little field trip as you make the donations as a family. We should be on the constant look-out for opportunities to share and to be generous, no matter our age.

Cindy G. Foust is a wife, mom, author and blogger. You can find her blog at the alphabetmom.com for weekly columns about home life,  parenting, small business stories and insight with a smidgen of literacy. Give her a like or follow on Facebook and Instagram.