WOW! It's all I can exclaim after such an exciting week! After being up on MckMama's blog all last week, we have seen an enormous amount of traffic - new donors are reaching out, and people in need are finding us. We had about 1200 hits and several new followers! WELCOME!! We appreciate those who continue to "pass on" the message to family and friends and many new donors and recipients are finding us through your blogs, emails and other forms of "word of mouth" communication. We cannot express our gratitude to you enough!
Through all this - we've become quite busy in such a short amount of time and finding clothing quickly can be a bit of a task. So - as you may have noticed, we have added a new "Immediate Needs" section to the right of our blog. This is an area where we hope to match up recipients quickly and could use your help reaching out to your networks. Many of you are already using this! Thank you! If you or someone you know have just a couple of outfits to donate for these immediately needed sizes, please let us know.
I (and I know Elizabeth does too) continue to be in amazement and also humbled by the stories of both donors and recipients. As I have noted before and many of you have read the story about the family in Columbus, OH who had the fire and lost everything. We were told by a close friend of hers that she and her family had received the boxes that were sent and that it was quite an emotional experience. The friend even noted that - it felt like Christmas for them during this very tough time. Well here is her comment on how Pass It On Baby made her feel!
"I have to say thank you so much. I had a house fire may 6th. We lost everything including our dog. It was so painful. My friend was talking about our loss. Some one then told her about pass it on Baby, In the next few days 2 boxes came from texas to my work. Both containing some wonderful cloths for both of my children. They loved them. I can not thank you enough. I am going visit the websit aften to see what you need. Paying it back in 3 folds."
After our original posting, we received a loving email from a woman who went through the same thing. They lost everything in a fire too and could relate on every mental, emotional and spiritual level as the indescribable feeling of loss. She just wanted this family to know that someone understands. Her kind words of support for this family and our charity have been heartfelt and received.
It's these stories, these connections, this outpour of love coming and going in both directions that make it all the worthwhile. Elizabeth and I thank you for sharing with us, joining in with us, and just coming along in changing the world - one outfit at a time. We will continue to share our story, your story, those in need and those donating - the journey of giving and receiving.
I just want to say that word is spreading quickly about your cause primarily because it is a fabulous service you are offering! I commend you for your efforts! You're not only helping people in immediate need of clothing, but others, like myself, who have such a sentimental attachment to my children's baby clothes. Donating them to you feels like a good reason to let them go. So thank you for helping me turn my sadness at letting go into a good purpose! As my children grow, I, too, will Pass It On, Baby! :) Keep up the excellent work!
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