Spring Cleaning: What to Donate and What to Dispose Of

When the bitter frost of winter melts away, spring brings a fresh revival of life to the world. As nature makes room for beautiful flowers, rain showers, and sunny days, it's also time to make room in your home. Spring is the perfect time for cleaning and decluttering your home. This is the reason why spring cleaning is such a popular concept. If you're not sure what to get rid of this year, there are a number of places you can probably start the process. Consider the following categories as you figure out what to donate and what to dispose of.

Clothing

While those jeans from high school might seem like a motivator, you might want to replace them if high school was decades ago. Plus, it's better to get rid of clothes you haven't worn in at least a year or two. If you're waiting to get back into those smaller jeans, just donate them to a local shelter or thrift store. You’ll feel much better having a closet of clothes that actually fit you. If the clothing is tattered, stained or in extremely used condition, dispose of it.

Electronics/Heavy Machinery

Living in the age of technology, people change phones almost as often as they change jobs. In some cases, people get a new phone every year. The same concept applies to other smart devices. However, even if you have a damaged phone, you can still donate it. There are shelters that fix up the phones and give them to women who've been victims of assault or domestic violence. 

If you have your hands on heavy machinery that is no longer in use, you can always dispose of certain items at local junkyards. If you're a lover of cars, don't throw a car away. Instead, donate it to a company like Cars 2 Charities. Donating old cars can be a good way to make a difference in your community.

Food

Yes, you'll want to clean out the refrigerator, cupboards and pantries to get rid of old food, spices and other expired items. However, if the non-perishables are in good condition, consider donating them to a local food pantry. Once you have enough non-perishables to get through a potential emergency, it's a great idea to donate the rest to a local food pantry, a church or a soup kitchen.

A clean space is connected to a lot of positive benefits. For starters, you'll be able to find things you're looking for. Additionally, a clean, decluttered space is often connected to a decluttered mind. When your home is cluttered, it can add to feelings of overwhelm, anxiety and depression. By becoming intentional with your spring cleaning process, you might discover some mental health benefits along the way.

Ways to Support Healthcare Departments During Covid-19 Pandemic

Currently, in this period, when the pandemic is at its diverse terrible stages yet in the United States. In this aggregate, appreciation has gone generally mild.

In case you are at residence understanding this and your most exceptional attention is maybe running out meals or ahem, tissue, you are indeed with a portion of the successful ones in the nation currently. Valets anywhere are leading directly into places where every person is trying to stay away from — medical emergencies, emergency clinics, pressing consideration offices, and clinical workplaces overflowing with peoples who require medical care recognized with COVID-19.

How we forgot those long days, intense and unexpected, but medical care front line workers around the globe are using their talent for defended the community spread against the COVID-19 pandemic. Their outstanding support and help are appreciation from the community that keeps medical care peoples going. In this blog, you can get a couple of ways to help the infirmary, your medical services suppliers, and the local community.

Funnel PPE Donations Appropriately

Applications for Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) kits endowments are expanding across the digital media. Donations, regardless of how tiny, can unite to have a significant impact. The state's Office of Emergency Management is intriguing contributions for hospitals, medical services suppliers through all states, and best prepared to sort out this exertion.

Stay Home

The Choice you make during the COVID-19 pandemics can significantly impact your health and your loved ones around you. The pictures of healthcare workers holding the slogans are "I stayed at work for you and you have to stay home for us," spreading and popping most of the places. You must take this message very-very seriously because if you care yourself ultimately, you care about your family too. You must maintain the social distancing, and it also helps to stop spreading coronavirus to others. 

At this time, you have seen, you can go far in aiding reinforce somebody's spirits. Realizing you perceive their penance and care enough to express gratitude toward them could give a depleted medical attendant in your life the solidarity to confront another move.

Cook them a Healthy Meal

You must cook the food and follow the diet that boosts your immune system. You can eat fruits and vegetables five times a day. You can include the pulses in your daily or weekly diets; use them three times a week. You do not buy non-perishable foods. If you want to stay healthy during this pandemic time, you must wash your vegetables cut, and freeze them before use. 

Donate Medical Supplies

Hospitals have confronted the best wishes of being the receiver of 100 thousand, granted N-95 masks, hand gloves, surgical masks, PPE kits, and other essential items to ensure our frontline medical workers' protection. Because of this staggering reaction and liberality of our local area, Huntington has chosen to briefly suspend its gift place while we keep battling COVID-19.

Send Messages of Gratitude & Support

If you realize a medical care specialist, connect with, share your thanks, and give them your help. Most of the peoples are staying at work longer than required and share the same actions that everybody has at this moment, particularly with regards to childcare or getting vital food and supplies. Offer to help any way you can. It indeed implies a great deal. You can likewise share a directive for medical care laborers on Hackensack Meridian Health's online media accounts, so they realize you are considering them.

Sew Masks

A handcrafted or sewn mask does not meet PPE guidelines, and even N95 masks are "not one-size-fits-all and ought properly to fit on a specific premise," Avaltroni said. "In any case, we're in a combat area mentality right now where anything is superior to nothing." So, continue sewing those covers and giving them in the coordinated manner you would differently supplies.

Donate Blood

Hospitals want your assistance in keeping our blood supplies up. Bestowing blood is still a reliable practice during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Volunteer Your Time 

Most Agencies—incredibly long term Medicare departments—have a volunteer office or administrator. Offer to be a penal, to settle on the telephone to isolated patients, or send postcards. With visitation completely bound, this reduces the pressure on health care workers who can't contribute as much energy as they'd like with patients.

Help with Drive Thru Relief Structures

Temporary Medical Structure departments to make drive-through COVID testing space, as brief emergency clinics, as COVID vaccine center, or as social insulating measures and safeguards. Clear range medical clinic tents can be raised anyplace, on any ground. They are introduced nearby, precisely where you need them. It very well may be based on grass, rock, black-top, and solid (concrete requires penetrating before stake establishment). These drive thru relief structures are prepared to store clinical supplies and hardware and be retrofitted to incorporate HVAC units to keep the clinic workforce and patients agreeable.

A New Way to Celebrate

Linda offers insight and suggestions regarding holiday giving.

As Mother’s Day just past and Father’s Day approaching next month, we celebrate the special women and men who influence our lives. These days can be filled with family, flowers and may center around brunch or dinner. However, for some it can be a difficult time. Maybe some have recently lost their mother or father? Maybe they have lost a child? The question always arises as to how to acknowledge the day appropriately for everyone. If thinking of giving a gift, how to give a meaningful one? As with every holiday, we are constantly bombarded by the media as to what gifts to give. For Mother’s Day the media suggests flowers, chocolate covered strawberries, jewelry, a new kitchen appliance, etc… Flowers, although pretty to look at, do not last long, chocolate covered strawberries are delicious but consumed quickly, jewelry is expensive, and who needs a new baking sheet to sit in your cabinet with four others already there!

Being professional organizers, we see many gifts that are given and not used. New mixing bowls in boxes, jewelry never worn, clothes with tags and candles never burnt to name a few. We cannot stress enough the idea of GIVING EXPERIENCES or DONATING TO A CHARITY as opposed to purchasing "stuff". How about a gift card to a restaurant, concert or sporting event? For all you moms out there, wouldn’t a one-hour reflexology foot rub session be glorious?

As a mother of three adult children, this year I received the best gifts yet. A lovely pop-up card from lovepop.com, with a beautiful sentiment inside. The card is from the heart and as a professional organizer I love that it takes up very little space! I can easily save it as a keepsake and unlike real flowers it doesn’t wilt and therefore no need to be tossed!

My other incredible gift was a donation in my name to in International Rescue Committee, rescue.org. The donation is for a newborn baby kit for new moms in Zimbabwe. The kit comes filled with clothing, baby soap, diapers and other newborn necessities. How awesome that we have the ability to help less fortunate moms on the other side of the world using our fingertips!

So when you are planning your next holiday, instead of “stuff” maybe think out of the box. Experiences and charities will make for less clutter in your life, and make for more meaningful and memorable gifts. From House to Home Organizing, we wish you all a relaxing and peaceful Mother’s & Father's Day weekends.

Interview - Filling in the Blanks

House to Home Organizing always encourages our clients focus less on stuff and more on experiences. There are many great organizations in our community to volunteer your time. We spoke with Hannah with Filling in the Blanks to find out more about how to help.

For the busy person, what is Filling in the Blanks?

Filling in the Blanks provides weekend meals to children in need who are eligible for the free or reduced lunch program. This program is available throughout the year, including the summer months. For just $5.25 a weekend, each child is provided with a bag of non-perishable, easy to prepare food items and a fresh piece of fruit.

What is the organization's origin story?

In 2013 Co-Founders Tina Kramer and Shawnee Knight began feeding needy children on the weekend under the nationally known organization Blessings in a Backpack. Shawnee Knight is a passionate chef, community activist, board member, wife and mother. Classically trained at the French Culinary Institute of NYC, starting this work and eventually co-founding FITB allowed her to marry her love of food, community and charity. Tina is a member of the Stamford Food Collaborative, a United Way program, whose mission is to improve access to food, quality of food and sustainability of food for all members of Stamford. She is also a member of the Stamford Public Schools Strategic Planning Advisory Committee, which focuses on ways to improve the educational well being of the district’s students. What began with the Connecticut chapter of Blessings in a Backpack 5 years ago has grown into an organization based on a strong sense of social responsibility to nurture the community’s needy children and inspire others to do the same. In 2014 Filling in the Blanks officially filed for their 501-c3 to be its own independent non-profit, who's mission would be to feed children in their own backyard. Filling in the blanks began with 50 students in one school in Stamford CT and has grown to now serve 825 students weekly across Lower Fairfield County and New York.

What areas of Connecticut do you serve and how does a family that is food insecure get assistance?

FITB currently serves Stamford, Greenwich and Norwalk CT as well as Bedford Hills New York.

FITB reach out to new schools and programs based on their percentage of students on the free and reduced lunch program. From here its at the discretion of school social workers and psychiatrists to determine which students/families are eligible for the program. FITB does not turn away students, we serve schools with numbers as low at 10 students and as high as 115 students weekly.

Can you share a success story (or more if you would like)?

The letter below is a testimonial from our backpack program which is done each holiday season. FITB provides each kid on the program with a brand new backpack filled with toys, clothes, books, food and more.

If someone wants to get involved, what is the best way to get started?
Check our website for volunteer opportunities and upcoming events or email our executive coordinator to see how you can get involved!

Website: fillingintheblanks.org/volunteer

Email: hannahpaddock@fillingintheblanks.org