Pass It On Baby!

I am an avid reader of MckMama at My Charming Kids and so when she put a new buttons on her blog for Pass It On Baby I knew it was something I had to check out. At first I thought it was going to be an advertisement for a new line of children's clothing that was totally adorable and equally totally unaffordable. Imagine my surprise and elation when I realized it was actually a ministry wanting to help families locate clothing they need or get rid of clothing they no longer use. Yet I I kept looking for a catch (oh me of little questioning faith!)....surely they will want you to pay the shipping or pay a yearly fee for the list of people who have clothing you need...but no, this is a true ministry of kindness and encouragement in a time when the world is short on anything associated with those 2 words.

The premise is so simple. How many of us have bags and boxes at home full of clothing we don't need? The fact is someone out there DOES need them....badly! Pass It On Baby is currently focusing on children's clothing and women's clothing, especially maternity clothing. If you have a need to unload your bounty of clothing or your current need is to bring in a bounty all you have to do is email either Elizabeth at grzelaks@columbus.rr.com or Heather at norton913@mac.com and let them know. They take is from there and put the word out on their blog. They act as a third party ambassador of hope for families in need. Especially families like mine.

I contacted Pass It On Baby requesting their help in locating shirts for Sam. Those of you who know Sam know that he chews constantly on his shirts. It doesn't matter what kind of shirt it is he is drawn to the neckline like a moth to a flame. Currently Sam has approximately 18-20 shirts. 90% of which look like this
and this...Not so pretty huh? Typically I pack Sam 5 extra shirts each day of school so as he soaks one they can put another on him. When he arrives home I find the shirts in a plastic grocery sack where they are promptly added to the laundry pile. At home Sam typically goes shirt-free or as one of my good friends said 'clothing is optional' which is very true, but only in Sam's case and only for shirts. I typically do laundry 2 to 3 times a week at the laundry room adjacent to my apartment building. This is both time consuming and expensive. The only perk is that I can do 3 loads of laundry at one time. Buying new shirts is equally expensive. Even when I can find them on sale at Target for $4.00 each that adds up really fast given how fast he chews the front off of them. Most shirts can last anywhere from a couple weeks to a couple months depending on the type of material they are made of.

Sam's love of shirt chewing also effects Noah in that none of Sam's shirts can become hand-me-downs for him to wear in the future given their disrepair. For this frugal mom that is not a good thing.

So, I wrote to Pass It On Baby telling them of my need for more shirts for Sam in a boys size 5-7 which is anywhere from a XS to a S. I also included in my email that I have a bag of women's size L and XL clothing I would be more than happy to donate as needed and Noah's clothing is also up for grabs as he outgrows his current 4T size. I am praying that I will receive so many shirts that I will have to stockpile them in bins in his closet, my closet, and Noah's closet. That is approximately how many I would need at the rate my little piranha is chewing.

If you have a surplus of clothing you would like to donate to a needy family or if you or someone you know has a need please be sure to check out Pass It On Baby and send an email to Elizabeth or Heather.