So I am working on the Day in the Life posts, but that is taking me a while to get written. In the meantime I have a short little unbelievable story...
I have spent all week sorting through all of our baby clothes, supplies, and equipment. Over the years we have amassed a ridiculous amount of stuff. People always seem to buy baby clothes, and sizes and seasons don't always match up, or it is not something I ever used for a million reasons. The collection of baby bottles I have but barely used...I surely don't need 40 bottles!...pacifiers all my kids refused...more blankets than I can count...the list just goes on and on. Not to mention all the hand-me-downs people have given me, it is just excessive.
So this time I purged lots of stuff. I took the time since I was going thorough things anyway to actually do it right. If I haven't used it yet, I am most likely never going to use it. Now that I have a house with the space to spread out and make piles, and I definitely feel the need to be less cluttered. The pile of stuff that still has tags on I am sending to an online consignment store. (Once I know how that turns out, I will name the site and do a review. This will be my first foray into online consignment.) I decided all the extra clothes and supplies I don't need I wanted to donate to a local pregnancy center. They are a small pro-life non-profit run by volunteers, and offer many different pregnancy services such as free pregnancy tests and ultrasounds, counseling, adoption information, parenting and wellness classes, ect.
I called this morning to ask when/where I take my donations, and I was TURNED DOWN!!! Seriously, they said they had just received a donation they hadn't looked through yet but had a crib, bath tub, and clothes and didn't "have a need" at this time. I was truly shocked. I mean, I get that it is a small place and they probably don't have much storage, but I also wasn't saying I was bringing a truckload full of stuff, either. I seriously can't even fathom how a volunteer run, non-profit was saying no to donations. The freaking shelter I got my pets from is a small non-profit, and they will literally take anything you want to bring them, always.
And then I just felt sad. I felt sad for the next girl or woman who finds herself pregnant and needs help, and goes to them, and they have nothing material to offer as they advertise they do. And I feel sad for that baby. If you are going to offer those types of services, wouldn't you want to make sure you had enough of everything, just in case?? Places like this exist for someone to see the sign and walk in on a whim. People gong to these places are desperate and many times alone and literally have no one else to go to. What, do they tell them "Oh, we don't have any baby clothes right now, check back in a month?" I mean, what the hell.
A parent at my kid's school used to volunteer there. She might still, actually, I'm not sure. But I am definitely going to ask her about this the next time I see her. Come to think of it, I might just email her. Maybe I just got someone jerky who answered the phone and didn't want to be bothered. I don't know, but I am pretty appalled and disenchanted with the whole thing.
Well, that's just crappy. I would try to find another crisis pregnancy center to bring it to.
ReplyDeleteBut can I just mention how I smiled when you mentioned it was a pro-life charity you were donating to? Because sometimes I feel like the only pro-life blogger on the entire internet. And maybe that doesn't necessarily mean you are... but I hope it does.
Yes, I am most certainly 100% pro-life. There are so many things I could say about it as it relates to IF and loss, but I am pretty sure you already know : )
DeleteI did find out a little more about the center from the parent volunteer-apparently space is one issue, and they only take new with tags clothing and nearly new supplies. The moms have to "earn" the right to get things by coming in and watching educational videos and such. Which I get, and is great, but I guess it isn't what I was thinking when I was thinking of a crisis center. I am definitely researching different local centers.
GOOD! I like you even more now!!
DeleteAnd yes, I would say all the things, but... you already know. I'll never forget the first (and only) time I accidentally mistook a fellow IF'er for pro-life because it didn't occur to me that she wouldn't be. Mind boggling!
I've been toying around with ideas for a post about it for forever, but I know most of my followers would disagree and write comments, or not comment and just unfollow. Which is sad. I'm also really terrible at arguing about it because all I do is cry.
But anyway, I'm very glad you would not be one of the haters.
We put alot of Connor's stuff up on Ebay, toddler shoes seem to be a big hit so far. Barely sold any clothes. Consignment doesn't seem very profitable in my past experience, you'll have to let me know how it goes. We didn't think we would have another child, still probably getting ahead of myself and a possibility that we won't. I shipped all my NB-12mo stuff to a friend I met on the TTC boards. It was a ton of stuff! It acutally cost $60 to ship it, she reimbursed me but it was a ton. Now if we ever to get a PG or adopt, I have nothing. Its a very scary feeling. However if it is a PG, at least I have 9 months to collect. :)
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