Love, Philanthropy, and Bag it Forward

Matthew 25: 35-40 says:

“For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’ Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’ The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’


I love this verse. There’s so much truth in it. It’s filled with humility, love, giving and lacks all sense of pride and selfishness. My hubby and I are trying really hard to be intentional about philanthropy and teaching our children to put others first and to give willingly. It’s such a hard thing to do especially when you feel like you don’t have much to give. We often forget that giving of our time can often make a greater difference in someones life, than giving money, or gifts.

I was so excited when we were given the chance to be apart of an amazing program Elmer’s is doing called Bag it Forward. This program gives people like you and me the opportunity to shop for school supplies and donate them to a child or children in need. While many of you will be able to go buy your children brand new school supplies there are many children who can’t afford those same luxuries. You know what it’s like to start school with a backpack filled with newly sharpened pencils, markers, scissors, well with this program you can give that same sense of confidence to someone else as well. #bagitforward

Elmer’s is a Upromise partner and that every time you purchase an Elmer’s or Krazy Glue product with your registered drug or grocery card, a percentage of your purchase will be put into your Upromise account. More information can be found here – http://www.elmers.com/about/special-offers

With all the great stuff going on to help kids in need we wanted the chance to get in on all the giving that was going on. We went shopping at our Walmart for school supplies we could donate and instead of buying for one child we bought supplies for two children. Right when we walked in we found a big crayon with lists for each grade levels school supplies. These lists can be used as a guide to buy supplies needed for a child entering a particular grade level, or you can just buy supplies and donate what you can. You can even visit Elmer’s website and upload a picture of your Bagged Forward items.

When it came to where we wanted to donate our school supplies I followed up with a friend of mine who works for the Olive Crest Foundation in our area. They have several programs set up to help families and children in need. Founded in 1973, Olive Crest has helped over 50,000 abused, neglected and at-risk children and their families. Incredible right?! For me, this was a no brainer, we needed to donate our school supplies to this amazing organization and I knew my friend Kim, was going to make sure that they went to good new homes.

If you’re interested in being apart of the Bag it Forward program and want to donate supplies to children in need, feel free to email my friend Kim, and she’ll tell you how you can get your donated items to her. Please, please, please be apart of this incredible opportunity to help others in need.

“This project has been compensated as part of a social shopper insights study for Elmer’s #BagItForward #collectivebias, but all my opinions are my own and we loved being a part of changing someones life and paying it forward!” 

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