Why I Give My Stuff Away

I’m 41 yrs. old and have always been a stay-at-home mom along with 12 yrs. as a Homeschool mom. I plan to continue to be a homemaker now that my children are grown. As a single income Christian family we can’t afford to give many cash donations. We can afford to donate what we no longer need and to volunteer our time.

I Give to God:

We believe in Stewardship and showing our love for God with Our Time, Talent, and Treasure. I give out of love, worship, and service to God that provides so bountifully for my family. To God I give all glory and praise.

“For where your treasure is, there also will your heart be.” ~Matthew 6:21

I Give Local:

I have been giving our unneeded stuff away with no profit to my family for 25 years. I had donated to Salvation Army or Goodwill until we moved to North Lewisburg and I came across a local charity. I have been supporting the local charity in the next town called The Clothes Closet for 18 years. A couple years ago The Marysville Area Ministerial Association purchased an abandoned school and turned it into The Hope Center. The Hope Center is a local compassion network of charities which means that I can donate items such as furniture, household goods, clothes, school supplies, personal care items, and food at one location. The Hope Center is one of many local charities that my family supports. I could get a tax deductible receipt but I don't worry about it.

"Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself. ~ Matthew 22:37-39

I Give When It Isn’t Convenient:

I have gone out of my way to donate our unneeded items even when the locations of the charities weren’t convenient for me. I save up my stuff to make a donation on my errand days. We don’t live close to the charities I support since we live in a small one stop light community. I like to give to the charities that give their donated items away to people in need for free. 

  

I Give in Need:

I’d rather give than make a profit off of stuff that could benefit families in need. I have held this belief even when my own family was in need and I could have had a yard sale or sold on-line to earn a little bit. I figure my stuff is worth more to a family in need than I could profit selling stuff cheaply. Thrift store shopping isn’t always within the budget when you are low income and raising children. 

When we had young growing children we needed to use local charities such as the food pantry, clothes closet, and Christmas gift charity. We lived in a homeless shelter for a year called the Homeless Families Foundation. It was a charity that gave families temporary apartments until they could get on their feet. 

I Give Out of Thankfulness:

I have always been thankful for the assistance charities gave to my family. I never wanted to take and not give back. My solution was to give away everything we own that we no longer needed rather than make a profit since we didn’t have money to give. We haven’t used these charities for quite a few years but out of thankfulness I give to them. 

When I drop off my families excess I pray for the charity and the people who benefit from its services. I have always donated regularly but I’ve been purging a larger amount of our excess stuff over the last couple years. I pray as I go though our things and collect the items that I’m planning to purge from our home that it may bless a family in need. 

“Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” ~John 13:34-35