Bag Sale #2 at Aynesworth Elementary

Last June, a bunch of us put together a bag sale at my school, Aynesworth Elementary, in southeast Fresno. It all started because I was working in a classroom and noticed one of the students wearing soccer cleats at school. When I asked why he had those on, he said "because it is my only pair of shoes".

Another of my students came to school hungry. I asked why he didn't come to school early for the free breakfast and he said because his "dad was drunk on too much beer and was sleeping on the couch in the morning" so he had to walk and didn't make it in time for breakfast.

Yep. You're probably feeling the same way we were feeling. Devastated, angry, confused, heart-broken, and eager to help feed and clothe children right here in our city!

We read some good books that had stirred us and help us understand the best way to serve those in need, and learned hand-outs weren't the answer. So we decided to host a bag sale where we'd collect tons of clothes, food, and hygeine products and discount them so parents could come and shop and fill up a grocerty bag of whatever they wanted for just $5!

Here's the story from last June: Bag Sale #1

We're hosting another bag sale Saturday 12/15 from 9-11am and we need your help!

We are in need of the following:

Food: perishable/non-perishable

Hygeine Products: soap, shampoo, toothpaste, toilet paper, diapers, pads, lotion, dish soap, laundry soap, etc

Clothing: ALL sizes, especially elementary age (5-12yrs). Coats, sweaters, pants, underwear (new only), socks, shoes
Misc: blankets, towels

Christmas gifts: new toys, clothes, shoes, household items, etc. (These will be sold seperately at a discounted price and we'll also include free gift wrapping).

If you can help in any way, please let me know. We have this week left to gather items for hopefully 100 families!

Serve Dei 2012: Bag Sale at Aynesworth

Our hope with the Bag Sale was to bless families at Aynesworth, and really it all started because of a little boy who had no other shoes to wear to school besides his soccer cleats (Read here). We wanted to gather items like clothing, hygiene products, and food and discount it all waaaaay down to provide for families in need.

Little did we know that this even would come at just the perfect time. Just 6 days before the sale, our Aynesworth community received some bad news.

The bad news . . .



Shortly after hearing this we didn't know what would happen. The principal thought this was the perfect thing to lift the heaviness and hurt in our community, remind people that our school is a positive light for the neighborhood, and they are loved. So we continued on.

The donations came in . . .

The line formed . . .

The people shopped . . .

The love spread . . .

The whole reason for this sale was to be able to bless families at Aynesworth with physical needs and show the love of Christ. We were able to serve over 100 families. We filled about 180 bags and gave away 115 bibles.

Thank you to every single person who donated items, donated money, donated time, and donated their love and prayer for this bag sale. The families were blessed and God knew just the PERFECT time and just the PERFECT way to show love to His hurting people.

Bag Sale {Update #1}

WOW! I am overwhelmed at your responses to the post from last week about our Bag Sale at Aynesworth Elementary {Read about it here}

We've decided to collect donations of things and discount them waaaaaay down to offer a giant yard sale to the families of Aynesworth Elementary.

Just an update since many of you have asked "What do you NEED?" My thought was that this sale would be based around necessities . . . food, clothing, and hygiene products (not home decor-the last thing I want to do is further push the lie of materialism that the more you have, the "better" you are.)

So here's a list of things we could use:

Clothes (all sizes, baby-adult, men/woman, boys/girls)
Socks
Shoes
Towels
Underwear (new only)

Groceries (perishable/non-perishable)
Fresh fruit/veggies
canned goods
(no meat or dairy since we won't have a refrigerator)

Hygiene Products
Soap
Shampoo
Toothpaste
Toothbrushes
Hairbrush
Lotion
Laundry Soap
Dish soap
Cleaning products
Toilet paper
Diapers
Baby wipes

Books
All reading levels
Spanish/English

Bibles (Spanish, English, Bilingual)

The original date didn't work out for most of the girls, so our bag sale will be on Tuesday 6/12 from 5-8pm at Aynesworth Elementary. If you'd like to help in any way, please let me know! A small donation will go a long way!

"Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen." (Ephesians 3:20-21)

$1 Bag Sale {Why I Need Your Kids' Old Shoes}

{Spring Cleaning & Spring Giving: Update #1}
About a month ago, I posted about Spring Cleaning. Read here

My hope was that we'd encourage each other in cleaning one area/room of our house and collecting what we could to give away! Originally, my plan was to do a garage sale with some neighbors, but the LORD has put something even better on my heart!

This week, one of the students I was working with in 4th grade was wearing soccer cleats. I asked "Charlie, why are you wearing soccer cleats to school?" and as the words were coming out of my mouth, I realized why. His head dropped down and he said "Oh because I don't really have anything else". Teacher fail. Of course that's why. Why did I even ask? Why did I embarass him? I tried to save myself and respond with "Those are so cool! You must be a really fast runner!". Too late, damage was done.



Which leads me back to spring cleaning, spring giving, and why I need your kids' old shoes. Majority of the kids I work with in South East Fresno live in poverty. Most speak Spanish or Hmong at home and are learning English as a second language. And as you know, when you live in poverty, when you are undeducated, illiterate, and speak limited English, it's hard to get a good paying job in this world. So it's hard to provide adequate clothing, hygeine, and food for your family.

Which is why I need your help.

As a life group, we're going to be collecting things from our home, donations from others, groceries, household products, etc and we're going to have a giant yard sale at my school, Aynesworth, on Saturday June 16th! Our hope is to get lots of Aynesworth families to come and shop and be able to buy new/used items at a discounted price.

Our plan instead of "giving" everything away is to provide the families with dignity and allow them to purchase what they'd like. So we're calling it the $1 Bag Sale. You buy a bag for $1 and whatever you can fit in the bag, you take home!



Here are some items we'll need for the sale:
-Bags (paper/plastic)
-Kids clothing/shoes
-Adult clothing/shoes
-Books/Toys
-Groceries (perishable & non-perishable)
-Hygeine products (shampoo, soap, toothpaste, etc)
-Cleaning products (laundry detergent, dish soap, etc)
-Bibles (in Spanish/English)

I'm praying that it's a success. If you have anything you'd like to give (from your closet, your pantry, whatever) please let me know! We'll make sure to put them out at our $1 sale to bless others.

So there ya' go! Spring cleaning . . . spring giving . . . spring serving . . . spring blessing . . . all wrapped up in one. Please contact me if you'd like to help.

"Then the righteous will answer him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink? And when did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you? And when did we see you sick or in prison and visit you?’ And the King will answer them, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me." (Matthew 25:37-41)