RESTORING DIGNITY 09/15/2012

********BEFORE AND AFTER VIDEO IS AT THE BOTTOM OF THE PAGE*********

The Problem:

After completing the first Restoring Dignity project in August of this year, our team became aware of another widow within the immediate family of the family that we helped. This mother was widowed on December 20, 2011, while she was pregnant with her youngest child. She is now the sole provider for her family, which includes herself, and her children, a 13 year old boy, 3 year old girl, and a 5 month baby girl. While she works full-time, she is driving 2 hours each day, to and from work, and with gas expenses and daycare, she has been unable to provide for the immediate needs of her family. She makes a few dollars over the limit for food stamps, and so she receives no food assistance from the government, nor any rent assistance. She told me that she is frequently unable to afford diapers for her baby, and so she attempts to go to different pantries in between coming home from her job. However, many times the pantries do not have the right size of diaper. This family of four sleeps in a two bed-room apartment, and while they keep it clean and tidy, there are many inadequacies. We are going to bless this family by providing for their immediate needs.

The Pictures:

The Solution:

On Saturday, September 15, 2012, we plan on blessing this family by doing several specific things:

(1) Provide the three year old with a proper bed, so the baby can have her mattress for her crib. We also plan on putting a dresser, toy bin, and bookshelf in her room, so she can have a place to keep toys, books, and clothes.

(2) Provide a futon in the living room, so that it can serve as a couch and a bed for the 13 year old boy.

(3) Fix the box springs in the mother’s bed, by using a plywood overlay
(4) Clean and steam all of the carpets and mattresses, as the family has had a problem with bed bugs.

(5) Clean the walls and kitchen.

(6) Provide quality pots and pans, as well as dishes and silverware for this family.

(7) Provide a supply of non-perishable goods, so this family will have a mini “food pantry”so they can eat.

(8) Make the apartment more of a home by putting up decorations and family pictures.

(9) Provide a hutch and desk for the mother, so she can have a place where she can organize bills and other documents.

(10) Provide the three year old with a collection of books, as she has none right now. Also with clothes, as she does not have very many.

(11) Provide the baby with infant toys, infants clothes, and diapers.

Supplies Needed:

• (3) plastic bed coverings (size: King, infant mattress, toddler bed mattress)
• (6) new pillows (these can be purchased at Target for approximately $3.50 each)
• (6) plastic pillow coverings
• (1) child’s dresser
• Food (anything non-perishable)
• Diapers size 3 to 4
• Frames (for family pictures)
• House decorations (pictures, shelves, vases, figurines, etc).
• Curtains and curtain rods
• Infant play pen
• (2) lamps
• (2) chairs to complete the dining room table and chair that this family has (they only have 2 chairs)
• (12) pair cleaning gloves
• Cleaning supplies (we will use these to quickly clean, and then we leave them with the family to use in the future): windex, bleach, toilet cleaner, oven cleaner, cleaning rags, etc.
• light bulbs, toilet paper, paper towels

How You Can Get Involved:

(1) DONATE: We need all of the aforementioned supplies. If you have ANY of the above supplies at your house, and you do not use them, please consider giving them to this family.  All donations can be dropped off at 3505 Hawthorne Avenue, Omaha, NE, 68131.  This is our donation collection center.  If no one is home, please leave items on the porch.

(2) VOLUNTEER: To clean, install, decorate, and move furniture, we need people! For this project we need an estimated 12-15 volunteers.

(3) SPREAD THE WORD: Show your family, friends, and co-workers this blog. They might have an extra dresser in their basement, or some lamps they no longer need or use.

HOW TO GET SIGNED UP:

You can call, text, email, or facebook Hannah or Sunday, to either donate supplies, volunteer to help, or BOTH! We will give in depth directions to the family’s apartment in Midtown Omaha, to all volunteers who contact us. We appreciate each and every one of you so much! Let’s all work together to bless this family and restore dignity and hope to their life.

Here’s our contact information:

SCHEDULE OF THE WEEKEND:

Saturday, September 15th, 2012

10:00am-8:00pm

Supplies We Have:

• 6 towels
• 2 pillow cases
• Several glass pots
• Hutch and computer desk
• Living room couch with fold out mattress, living room love seat
• Cover for loveseat
• DVD player
• Bookshelf
• Books for 3 year old
• Toys for 3 year old
• Baby sippy cups & baby silverware
• Full mattress/box spring
• 2 3-shelf bookcases
• Computer desk that could work as an entertainment
• 2 full size comforters and sheet sets
• A few random blankets
• 2 baby blankets
• 2 diaper bags
• 2 fabric storage cubes
• Fabric under bed storage
• 3 bags non-perishable food
• Baby utensils, plates, sippy cups
• Toddler cups
• Set of 8 glasses
• Several pots & pans
• Set of 4 coffee mugs with rack
• Toaster
• Microwave
• Cutting boards
• Laddle, cooking spoon, turner, ice cream scoop
• 9×13 baking pan and muffin tins
• Some toddler DVDs
• Bath towels & hand towels
• Baby hooded towel and washcloths
• Shower curtain rings
• Baby body wash and lotion
• Toddler girl hair accessories
• Bath body paint and water coloring tablets
• Toddler wall stickers (alphabet and flowers/butterflies)
• 4 canvases and chalkboard paint (I thought that would be fun for the younger 2’s room)
• Art kit, crayons, coloring books, notebook paper, notebooks, highlighters, erasers, kiddie scissors.
• Placemats, table runners and a couple candles
• Sesame street small suitcase
• Tea kettle
• Several boxes of diapers
• Pack of wipes
• Toddler bedding (fitted, flat sheet, pillowcase, and comforter)
• Spare set of toddler sheets
• Clothing for 3 year old
• (1) King comforter
• (1) computer chair
• Two end-tables/small cabinets
• Coffee table
• King size sheets
• Decorations for the three year old girl’s room
• Toy bin/organizer
• Children’s books
• Infant toys
• Girl clothes, size 4/5, girls shoes size 10 and up
• Baby girl clothes, size 18-24 months
• (1) toddler bed with a mattress

BEFORE AND AFTER VIDEO