This contest is now closed. We loved all the ideas but could only select one. Sara is a teacher in a low-income school and will use the money to buy socks and underwear to give to students.
When Pampers asked me how I’d use a $50 gift card to “pay-it-forward” in my community, it was easy to respond. I would enable Help A Mother Out to procure $50 worth of diapers that can be distributed to a woman who cannot afford them.
They sent me a $50 American Express gift card, and I immediately put it in the mail to Help a Mother Out.
A few days later, Help A Mother Out tweeted this message and photo:
@rookiewhitney your kindness in action: these will go to a mom who needs to keep her baby in Early Head Start #hamo
My act of kindness is not “random” because I am always on the lookout for ways to help this organization, but I bet any of you who are imagining what you’d do with a pay it forward opportunity have some terrific ideas.
Guess what! You DO have a chance at this same experience.
Leave a comment below telling me how you’d use a $50 American Express gift card to pay-it-forward within your community. I will select one person on Tuesday, May 24 who will get the opportunity to make their idea a reality. (Pampers will send the winner the gift card.)
A big thank you to Pampers for enabling this program of kindness to celebrate their 50th anniversary.
photo: Nick and Stacy Denobo
I would use a $50 gift card to donate food items to the Food Bank of Central and Eastern Carolina. They are one of the main organizations who distributed food after the April tornadoes devastated the Triangle area (200 tornadoes! millions in dollars of damage!). In just two weeks after the tornadoes, they distributed over 300,000 lbs of food so their stocks need replenishing.
Nate and Alex held a food drive for this organization at their birthday party this weekend in lieu of gifts. I was extremely happy at the turnout because southern ladies have a tough time coming to a party without a gift in their hand!
My church is a donation location for The Treasure Box, http://www.thetreasurebox.org/ . They provide a week of food at an affordable price. With so many hurting in these economic times, this organization is building into our local community in a big way on a monthly basis. I’d use the card (and a little extra from us – since each box is $32) to give two families a weeks worth of food!
I would use the $50 to buy books for our clinic’s Reach out and Read program. I work as a community physician in an inner city setting, and we are always running out of age appropriate books to give the kids at their well child visits. Thanks!
I’m a teacher in a low-income school. I’d use the $50 to buy socks and underwear that our school can give out to students. Seems like a little thing, however those aren’t items we get donated used but they are incredibly important!
I would donate the $50 to the social workers at the Alta Bates NICU to be given to a new mom who needs help with transportation to the NICU or for food while visiting their baby in the NICU. We all know how expensive the medical care can be for our little ones, but very few people realize the huge cost associated with just visiting a baby in the NICU- especially over an extended period of time. Often these costs make it impossible for a mom to be with her baby- hurting both the mom and the baby.
I’d put $50 toward the Nice Things Now Cause of the Month: the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation in honor of Abby. A friend of Abby’s mom took a leap of faith in daring to ask strangers for their support as she walks in this year’s Great Strides charity event, and that kind of dedication to friendship deserves to be rewarded.
Similar to your Help A Mother Out, I would donate the $50 gift card to Oklahoma City’s Infant Crisis Services that provides diapers, formula, clothing, etc. to moms & families in crisis. My baby showers included diaper drives for ICS and while I’ve always been supportive of their work, it wasn’t until I became a Mom in December that I felt so connected to Moms who do all they can to provide for their children and I personally can’t imagine not being able to meet my child’s needs. This cause is personal to me, now.
In the last two months, a friend from my MOPS group lost a baby at birth and discovered that her two-year-old son has leukemia. Her family could really use the money to pay for gas driving back and forth two hours every week for his treatments for the next three years.
I would use a $50 gift card to donate to SafeHouse Denver. They help hundreds of women and children overcome domestic violence every year. They provide emergency housing as well as counseling programs for women and children.
I am the director of a brand new chapter of the Nashville, TN nonprofit charity Newborns In Need, Inc. I would put the $50 in our account to purchase diapers, wipes and baby clothes for a family in need.
I would give it to Doula’s Care in Ann Arbor, MI (http://doulascare.org/). They provide doula services to women in need. They remind all women that they are powerful and can do anything. If you have had a doula (and I’ve had two) you know what a gift this is!
From their website:
“Doulas Care © is a 501c3 non-profit organization working to improve maternal and infant health outcomes and reduce health disparities by matching qualified volunteer doulas with pregnant women and adolescents who have limited resources. Qualifying low-income women receive these services for free.
As special mentors, doulas provide educational, emotional, physical, and logistical support to women and their families. Doulas Care also helps the volunteers by providing the opportunity to gain hands-on experience soon after training and opens a professional pathway in the field of maternal and infant health.”
I’d use a $50 gift card to increase donations to Help a Mother Out. As a guest at their recent fund raiser, I was surprised to learn that WIC does not help mothers with diapers. The stories I heard of mothers and grandmothers who can not afford to provide their babies with clean diapers were heart-wrenching. Having to choose between food and medicine or clean diapers is a difficult choice they face every day. The young women and their supporters who founded this cause are an inspiration and so deserving of all the help they can get.
I would donate the $50 to Crossroads High School which is a school in our district (in the East Bay) for teen moms who wish to complete their high school education. I think these girls are so brave and strong to continue to educate themselves (often without family support) in hopes of providing a better future for their babies and toddlers. The school always needs diapers! Plus countless other items for the moms and babies.
I would send it to the Mendoza Family in Hollywood, to the sister of our dear friend and babysitter Aurora who is fighting for her life against a disease she contracted through blood transfusion. She has a 2 year old daughter that may be facing the same medical issue, but their insurance company is not paying up and the family is scrambling to get them both the care they need. So many great causes in these comments…lots of angels out there! xx
I would donate to Wellspring Family Services in Seattle, which runs a bunch of vital programs for families. Two examples of what they’re doing: They run Morningsong, a preschool for homeless kids, and the Baby Boutique, where at-risk moms referred from any other social services in WA state get a shopping list (car seat, diapers, bottles, pajamas, onesies, winter coat, toys, books…) and can shop for FREE in a store-like setting for their children.
wow this would be fantastic for me to help out with the tornado victims. i have 2 very young kids and have been aching to help out with the neighbors in the next towns over who got completely smashed by the tornado that hit the Tuscaloosa/Birmingham area on April 27th. there are so many people who are in need of the absolute basic necessities for their babies… ive had to stop watching the news as i have a 5 week old and it isnt helping with getting over the baby blues. it is so painful to see people so close to my home that have absolutely nothing anymore.
I would donate the money to an animal rescue that I adore… For Bunny Sake Rabbit Rescue. They foster and care for rabbits until they can find them forever homes. Right now they are just run out of volunteers homes, but they are trying to raise money to be able to afford an actual shelter.
[...] to spend on the community organization of his or her choice, and to enter all you have to do is leave a comment on their post before Tuesday, May 24, telling them who you’d help and why. Donating $50 [...]