When I first began this endeavor at the beginning of the year I wasn't too sure where to start or what to expect, I just knew I had to start.
I made a practical list of items that I thought people would appreciate and then went hunting on Amazon for bulk items. A little under $400 dollars and a million boxes later things started to take shape.
For as long as they take to put together, it really sucks how fast they go and just speaks to how many people need help.
So far, I've handed out almost one-hundred survival packs and I'm getting ready to place my next bulk order this week. I hope to pick up the pace as I get better at this.
Here are some updates on what I plan on changing/adding for the next round based off what I'm seeing in the streets:
First off, I don't need to buy anymore dog food. I'm still sitting on almost all of the food I purchased still. A lot of my bags were pre-packaged with the dog food so I've had to take those bags out at times. I guess it's a good thing I'm not seeing as many animals on the street in OC but I know they're still out there. I plan on doing more outreach on foot moving forward so hopefully I can find some people to help that way.
Something else I'm going to be more aware of is the quality of products I'm purchasing. With the first round, I bought all bottom of the barrel items because, well, things are expensive and I'm doing this all on my own. What I realized though once I received the socks for example, was that they're paper thin so that sucked. I solved that by providing them with four pairs each but will spend more this time around to get better quality.
The same goes for the quality of the toothbrushes and toothpaste. I'm going to try and add more toiletry items this time around to include feminine products and sun screen. My goal is to stay under $600 while aiming for 100 packs. I'll let you know how that goes Lol...
If you made it this far, thank you for reading. Homeless people are so appreciative to receive these items, be seen, be spoken to kindly and treated like humans. Interacting with these folks daily takes a lot out of me at times as I'm a very empathetic person and want to spend more time with each person to help them. At the same time, seeing them smile and giving them hope fills me up.
Where I'm currently having the most trouble is seeing the same people at the same street corners and not being able to do more. I hope to get the courage to start broadcasting this cause more so I can try to bring in more funds to help people further.
Giving back truly is amazing. If you're able, please consider donating.
❤️mp
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