Doing Good in 2017

[dibbles]

I have decided that in 2017, I am going to make a monthly donation (or try to) of soap to organizations that will want them. I send my end cuts, uglies, scent faders and the like to Clean the World 2-3 times a year. So in the months that I don't have enough to send there, I will donate to local homeless shelters, women's shelters and my local county food bank (I was stunned to find out that food stamps do not cover toiletries).

I realize that I am a hobbiest with a bit of a soap making problem and always have an excess. This is a far different situation than those that sell and can get rid of their singles, uglies, etc. by way of a 'bargain bin', and who also have a bottom line to watch with their business. But I know there are also lots of hobbiests here as well, who have a wee bit of a soaping problem as well.

Anyone want to join me in this? If not, that's okay. Just putting it in writing and making it public will reinforce the commitment to do it for me.

 

[Steve85569]

I'm in.
There is currently soap in the living room that DW Jan's Thursday gang is going to pick through and donate.
I wouldn't want to be "camping" in our current weather with or without soap.Snow, 27 degrees and falling.
The churches in town have warming shelters set up again this year.

 

[shunt2011]

I donate soap to be sent to our military overseas and to family shelters several times throughout the year.

 

[dibbles]

I donate soap to be sent to our military overseas and to family shelters several times throughout the year.

Do you have an address or contact information for military donations? I love the idea of doing that.

 

[mommycarlson]

I would love to find out about donating to military as well!

 

[cmzaha]

I have decided that in 2017, I am going to make a monthly donation (or try to) of soap to organizations that will want them. I send my end cuts, uglies, scent faders and the like to Clean the World 2-3 times a year. So in the months that I don't have enough to send there, I will donate to local homeless shelters, women's shelters and my local county food bank (I was stunned to find out that food stamps do not cover toiletries).

I realize that I am a hobbiest with a bit of a soap making problem and always have an excess. This is a far different situation than those that sell and can get rid of their singles, uglies, etc. by way of a 'bargain bin', and who also have a bottom line to watch with their business. But I know there are also lots of hobbiests here as well, who have a wee bit of a soaping problem as well.

Anyone want to join me in this? If not, that's okay. Just putting it in writing and making it public will reinforce the commitment to do it for me.

Food Banks also love donated soaps. I have a definite aversion to sending to Clean the World, when we have so many needy families in our own Country. I just donated 40 lbs of soaps, not fully labeled but all wrapped to an organization that serves low income Seniors in their city. This was the city that I had such a good craft fair in the last 2 weekends. Church's that give to homeless will take them, Salvation Army that have live in families will take them, if you can find a contact for a shelter for abused they will take any bath and body products. Granted they hard to find and I am not sure how my daughter found the one I make soap for. These women leave home with the shirts on their backs and usually nothing else. When I donated my soaps last weekend they told me a man had just asked them for a bar of soap when they gave him his food bag and asked him if he needed anything else. There are many many shelters and food banks to donate to.

 

[cmzaha]

I would love to find out about donating to military as well!

Military cannot use scented soaps if they are overseas. Or at least that is what we were told. They do get supplies homeless and low income seniors do not

 

[dibbles]

Food Banks also love donated soaps. I have a definite aversion to sending to Clean the World, when we have so many needy families in our own Country. I just donated 40 lbs of soaps, not fully labeled but all wrapped to an organization that serves low income Seniors in their city. This was the city that I had such a good craft fair in the last 2 weekends. Church's that give to homeless will take them, Salvation Army that have live in families will take them, if you can find a contact for a shelter for abused they will take any bath and body products. Granted they hard to find and I am not sure how my daughter found the one I make soap for. These women leave home with the shirts on their backs and usually nothing else. When I donated my soaps last weekend they told me a man had just asked them for a bar of soap when they gave him his food bag and asked him if he needed anything else. There are many many shelters and food banks to donate to.

The thing about Clean the World is that they will accept the scraps and trimmings, and used hotel soaps and put to use something that would just be wasted. At least in my case since I really don't want to rebatch. So I will continue to donate to them. I will be donating soaps with scent to my local food bank and a homeless teen shelter in my community, and also to a homeless shelter in my larger metro area. I would happily make unscented soaps for the troops. I have to contact the women's shelter in my area to find out how to donate there. I should also contact the senior center in town - thanks for the suggestion.

 

[houseofwool]

We just donated 100 pounds of soap to the local food bank. Some are end trimmings, some are undersized soaps that I don't sell, some were scents that no longer sold well, some were specifically made for donating.

 

[cmzaha]

The thing about Clean the World is that they will accept the scraps and trimmings, and used hotel soaps and put to use something that would just be wasted. At least in my case since I really don't want to rebatch. So I will continue to donate to them. I will be donating soaps with scent to my local food bank and a homeless teen shelter in my community, and also to a homeless shelter in my larger metro area. I would happily make unscented soaps for the troops. I have to contact the women's shelter in my area to find out how to donate there. I should also contact the senior center in town - thanks for the suggestion.

You can dampen scraps and pack them in molds or make soap balls then donate them to a shelter

 

[dixiedragon]

I'm actually currently working on a donation for my YWCA for this weekend! This weekend they are having a Santa Shop where their clients - women they are helping to get back on their feet - can choose Christmas presents for their children. There are 140 women coming to this, so I'm bringing enough soap for each of them to choose 1 bar and 5 lip balms each. I am hoping to finish the lotions this week - I am halfway there! I am making bigger care packages for the 40 women in their domestic violence shelters - some cute MP soaps for kids, more soaps, lotion, lip balm and a salt scrub.

 

[Soapmaker145]

I'm in. I've been rebatching some of the faders from my FO test to make M&P for a while now. I'm not trying to make transparent soap, just make the rebatched soap look better and last longer. It's working so well that the rebatched soaps are walking out of my basement along with the regular soaps. Totally unexpected. I'm going to try some tests making HP soap with added PG and sugar syrup to duplicate the rebatched soaps. I'll be able to use up some of the FOs that don't CP well. There is no shortage of places to give the soaps to.

Our food pantry asks for toiletries and cleaning supplies. They are always low on things we take for granted. I found out recently that we have a large shelter for abused women in our city that I never heard of before. I'm preparing a package for them that includes soaps.

 

[Catastrophe]

As a military spouse, please do donate to a local homeless organization, if possible. Our active troops are fairly well taken care of, and many cannot use scented soap with their job as was said, but many, many homeless are Veterans, and have much more need. We thank you for thinking of the troops, it always warms my heart to see people wanting to donate to them.

I contacted a local woman's shelter when I made my first batch, they're open to men now, too, and asked if they wanted my scraps. They said yes and asked them to be cut in "single servings." None of my soap is cured yet but I have a mesh tub I'm putting my singles in to donate in the new year.

 

[Susie]

In my old hometown, the Salvation Army provided the homeless shelter. It, too, asked for "hotel sized" bars of soap. This is the last place I donated to. I currently do not have any spare soap, as my co-workers will take anything and everything. I have also gotten to the stage that I have no ugly but usable soaps. I also do not sell soap, so no trimmings. I get one half sized end bar from each batch, that is my tester, and often the only one I personally get to keep. I am hoping that at least one of my co-workers takes me up on the "free soapmaking lessons" soon, as I really would love to have another soaper to commiserate with.

 

[dixiedragon]

Had a great time at the YWCA this weekend. It's a pretty interesting system. Each client is assigned a personal shopper who walks them through the process. There's a lot going on! For each child they are allowed to choose a certain number of items - for example 2 toys, 10 stocking stuffers, 1 board game, etc. While the moms are shopping the kids are in the craft area. So the kids have no idea Mom is picking up presents for them! which I think is really nice. After picking up toys, Moms go to the closet and get to pick a certain number of clothing items for each child. Then Moms can come to the relaxation room, where I was, while their presents were wrapped. They could have breakfast (Thanks Chik-Fil-et!), some tea or cider and write Christmas cards and get some soap. I gave each mom 5 lip balms, 1 clear soap per child (with robot or fairy embed), 1 regular bar for them and 1 regular bar per big kid (for teens who may not want a robot or fairy soap). Unfortunately a lot of women didn't come to the relaxation room, so I didn't get as much traffic as I would have liked. But I just gave my excess to them! Dorietta helped me by making 50 liquid soaps. They have about 45 women in their domestic violence shelters and I wanted them to get a special care package - 1 liquid soap, 1 lotion and soap and lip balm.

Now I have room for more soap!

 

[dibbles]

I'm glad it went well dixiedragon - sounds like you had a great time!

 

[cmzaha]

Had a great time at the YWCA this weekend. It's a pretty interesting system. Each client is assigned a personal shopper who walks them through the process. There's a lot going on! For each child they are allowed to choose a certain number of items - for example 2 toys, 10 stocking stuffers, 1 board game, etc. While the moms are shopping the kids are in the craft area. So the kids have no idea Mom is picking up presents for them! which I think is really nice. After picking up toys, Moms go to the closet and get to pick a certain number of clothing items for each child. Then Moms can come to the relaxation room, where I was, while their presents were wrapped. They could have breakfast (Thanks Chik-Fil-et!), some tea or cider and write Christmas cards and get some soap. I gave each mom 5 lip balms, 1 clear soap per child (with robot or fairy embed), 1 regular bar for them and 1 regular bar per big kid (for teens who may not want a robot or fairy soap). Unfortunately a lot of women didn't come to the relaxation room, so I didn't get as much traffic as I would have liked. But I just gave my excess to them! Dorietta helped me by making 50 liquid soaps. They have about 45 women in their domestic violence shelters and I wanted them to get a special care package - 1 liquid soap, 1 lotion and soap and lip balm.

Now I have room for more soap!

Fantastic!! This is similiar to what we have done for the Salvation Army live ins in the past. One year we purchased a new outfit for each child in our local shelter. Sadly, due to finances I just cannot do as much anymore

 

[singingjeanie]

Super idea!!

 

[dibbles]

I am dredging up this post to provide an update on my efforts to donate once a month in 2017.

I posted in another thread not long ago about my frustration in contacting several shelters (homeless and victims of abuse) in my area and only hearing back from one, with a 'thank you, but we don't have a need for soap'. So the bulk of my donations went to our local food shelf, and I only missed getting it over there one month. I also sent a box to the hurricane relief effort that Zany posted about, and mailed a box to a large homeless shelter in downtown Minneapolis.

The town I live in was truly a small town, which the greater Minneapolis area has expanded to, and I guess could now be considered a northern ring suburb. But it does maintain its small town vibe. An asylum (more recently renamed state hospital) operated as a mental health/chemical dependency treatment center with a large campus and several residence halls was open for nearly 100 years. A new treatment center was built, and these buildings remained unused since that time. Enter Eagles Healing Nest. This is an article about the first campus which was opened, if you are interested. https://www.stripes.com/news/vetera...efuge-for-vets-seeking-purpose-peace-1.338699

In short, this organization provides a place for veterans who need a safe place, a healing place, are homeless - whatever their circumstances. The first of the residence cottages is now open. Work will begin on the second cottage for female vets, and a third after that for families. I dropped off my first donation of soap yesterday, and will continue this once a month. I'm already planning some girly smelling soaps to welcome the female vets to their new home.

I'm happy to now have two places to donate in my community on an ongoing basis. Below is a picture of the first refurbished cottage. A graceful building, lovingly restored, resting peacefully on the banks of the Rum River.

Happy New Year, all!