At least twice a year I go through all of our stuff and clean out closets and basements and garages. I get rid of (recycle) all of the paper and paper. You know what that’s all about. It’s archeological for starters. I’m finding all sorts of things I either forgot I had in the first place or forgot where I put, anyway.
You’re probably reading this and thinking: I need to do the same thing but…. I don’t have time, some other day, I have to ask family members what they want to keep, etc.
Enough already!
If your garage, storage area, and closets are full of appliances, computer peripherals (which always have the lifespan of a gnat), rugs, building materials, furniture, you name it…
Please pay them forward.
When I moved several years ago, I donated half of my household to an organization which helps folks get off support situations and out of battered-women shelters so they can move into their first self-financed apartment or home.
Take the time out of your busy schedules to find out the name of that organization in your community. Pay it forward.
Check out the website of the Habitat for Humanity® Restore program in your community. They accept lots of items you wouldn’t think they would accept. Keep paying it forward.
There’s always Military Order of the Purple Heart, which accepts all sorts of those items including small appliances and TVs (at least in our area) which are resold to provide funding for folks in need.
There are organizations in your area who accept used office equipment and get it to non-profits who could really use it and don’t care if it’s the latest and greatest. Find out who these folks are in your community.
Thrift shops in your area often are associated with religious organizations or clubs such as the Kiwanis. They’ll even pick up stuff in some cases, where you have lots and lots of stuff (in our area, they picked up our sleeper sofa, hallelujah!!).
There are food banks which will accept unopened and non-expired non-perishable food items. Do you know the names of these organizations in your area? You could make a big impact.
Before you call a junk hauler or pitch this stuff in your garbage just because it’s the easiest thing to do – take that extra step to pay things forward.
You probably have enough as it is. Paying it forward makes you think about where you have come from and where you are going. And how we all are responsible for helping others along the way.
Take the time to pay it forward. It’s a good feeling.
So what’s on your Paying It Forward list?
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