You know, the kid’s not at fault for the economy. His parents are or aren’t. I figured, let’s try to really knock something out for some kids.

The Difference in the Shopping Experience

It was a different feel than the small, independent store. There were more name brands. There were more value opportunities. And at the same time, the experience wasn’t exactly as fun. It wasn’t as personal or as rewarding to buy from a big company instead of buying from Joyce. I mean, we helped with her prayers. This? It was another kind of good feeling, but not the same as buying local.

The difference between Target and Kmart was that Target had a few more rows of toys. They had a lot of the same brands, and their prices were similar, so that didn’t really feel all that different. Target just had a somewhat bigger selection. I’d say that I would still go to Kmart and check, because there were some things that I got for less money there – I think Star Wars toys, but don’t quote me.

How Good This Felt

I’m grateful for all your kindness. Your donations topped $1200 all told. I added in my $500 matching, so I have a total of $1700 to buy things. I’ve spent just over $1600 so far, but found an opportunity to support a local independent bookseller, so I’m going to throw another $200 of my dollars in to get some things from her.

You did this. You made it possible for me to pick up several carts full of toys (SEVERAL people made faces at us for how much stuff we were carting to the front, until we could flip a glib ‘my online community bought these for needy kids.’ (By the way, at Joyce’s store, we convinced a woman there to buy a toy for the collection, too. She told people all over town, it turns out, which meant even more toys for kids.)

So this felt great. I’m thinking of ways to support a charity a month for all of 2009. This is going to be a tough year. More so, I want YOU to support a charity a month. I want you to think of ways to change a few trips to Starbucks into real change for other people. Let’s work on that together, right? It takes work, but the rewards are worth it.

Thanks again.

Photo credit, fdecomite

“I was worried. I admit that I prayed last night, and ask the one upstairs for some help, but I didn’t expect anything like this,” said Reed.

Thanks to your donations (and a little bit of a match), you purchased $607 dollars worth of toys for kids who would’ve had a really sparse holiday this year. You did it. It was your donations, your caring, and your efforts. All I did was hand over your money to Joyce, and she’ll hand the toys over to the kids.

By the way, Joyce is also a local independent business owner. We just probably made her month in an economy that’s got everyone on the ropes. So you can pat yourself on the back for that one, too. I should add that Joyce also gave you all a 20% discount, so we actually bought $728.40 worth of toys for that amount.

There’s still more to do. Thanks to your generosity, I still have several hundred dollars left to spend on toys. I realized that I didn’t really get anything for older kids, so I’m going to go look for things in that category, plus, my friend Carolyn Jordan just opened a very small independent bookstore, so I can pick up some books from her, because some kids (nerds like me) love books for the holidays.

I want to thank you all. I loathe the holidays, for a lot of personal reasons, but because of this, and because of a nice story my parents told me a few days back (about reliving some of our old family traditions up in Maine), I feel pretty cheerful. There’s something great about being a Santa-by-Proxy, spreading the love that YOU gave with your contributions.

I’m doing this same project for the next three or four days in between work chores. If you want to donate, you can still give. Every dollar will be spent on charitable causes supporting kids and families in need this holiday season.

Thanks again.

A friend of the family volunteered to take the toys to a donation point for us, and so we gave the big trash bag of mostly boys’ toys to her. She went on her way, doing her daily errands, including stopping for coffee with a friend who’d been going through some troubles. This woman had received a divorce the year before, and her ex-husband had stopped paying her anything after losing his job. The woman was distraught because she really wasn’t making ends meet, but worse, she reported to our friend, she couldn’t buy any toys for her boys for Christmas this year.

After a quick phone call with us to check, I’m happy to report that the toys are now wrapped and under the tree of a family who would’ve had to go without.

The Quandry

I really wanted to give those toys to Toys for Tots, because they’d go to more places. So, because I had so much fun taking my kids shopping for toys once already, I figure maybe I’ll go again. Only this time, I’ve got a plan. (***Update: I’m spending the first $500 at Kmart again. I’m spending the next $500 at a small, local independent toy store.***)

Will you donate $10 or so to the cause?

***Update: We made $500 in about 20 minutes. I’ve added my $500 in matching. Now, want to keep giving? It’ll all go towards toys for tots. Thanks so very much! ***

Plenty of Causes

Don’t feel bad if you can’t donate. This coming year, there will be plenty of causes looking for help that are much more important than toys at the holiday. I’m definitely going to share the best of them with you as they come along, because I’m passionate about how social media empowers non-profits. I’ve enjoyed learning from and working with great people like Beth Kanter over the last few years, and I know that 2009, being as difficult as it will be, will be a great time for me to pester you here and there for $10 for some worthy cause. If you have to skip one, toys might be it. But me? I’m going shopping again.

Thanks.

Photo Credit, Zana Stardust