Pajama Program Donation!

[windinthemaples]

This afternoon, after an assembly-line effort of sorting and bundling, we drove a carload of pajamas and storybooks for donation to the local chapter of the Pajama Program. Those pajamas will be distributed to area children living in foster care, emergency shelters, and group homes (orphanages). The final tally is pretty spectacular!

We delivered 237 pajamas and 35 storybooks.

Two hundred and thirty seven children will be warm at bedtime because of our efforts. Five giant 30 gallon bags were stuffed full of fleece and cotton jammies. It amounted to 93 pounds of pajamas! Tinkerbell and robots, dinosaurs and hearts, rainbows and elephants, Elmo and unicorns. Everything cute and beloved by children was represented in those bags. Or, put another way:

<3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3

A heart for every child, every warm and wonderful pair of pajamas.

I wanted to extend my gratitude to all of you who helped keep me inspired and motivated. Your warm wishes and encouragement helped me get here. My especial thanks to those who donated directly to my efforts. I am humbled by your outrageous generosity and unflinching support.

As I packaged the pajamas up to leave my home, I infused each with a message of "You Are Loved." I can only hope that loving magic offers some of the joy, comfort, and belief in humanity's goodness that the collecting of them instilled in me.

I love you all! Thank you for helping make one of my dreams a reality.

Comments

[willow-cabin.livejournal.com]

I love the hearts illustration. :) This is a huge, wonderful thing you've accomplished~ <3333

[lilith42.livejournal.com]

So, so happy!

[greyeyedpixie.livejournal.com]

You are truly a wonderful person. :)

Such a happy post to read first thing in the morning. <3

[mermaiden.livejournal.com]

This is the happiest thing in the cosmos. Wow. Just...wow~ <3333333

Those flowers behind you, Rachel? They're beautiful.

[sugarmaplelife.livejournal.com]

Thank you! I was going to use periods but then I had an inspired WWJ(enn)D? moment. ;) Thank you so much for everything! It was so wonderful to go back through all the pajamas one last time and see the ones you picked out, the elephants and the hearts and the dinosaurs, and see how perfectly they reflected you and Sarah. :D Ha!

[sugarmaplelife.livejournal.com]

"Those flowers behind you, Rachel? They're beautiful."

Oh. Geez. I just spent a full minute scouring my icon and my photo, trying to see the flowers or the suggestion of flowers you saw. Ahem. That's how completely unprepared I am to see what's behind me the way you do. :) Thank you for the support and the reminder.

[mermaiden.livejournal.com]

Do you ever wonder if one of the reasons we were put into each other's lives is to be that mirror for one another? We see the absolute best in each other, and we remind ourselves of that. There couldn't be anything better, I think. I see you at your best, even when you can't see it at all, and you see me at my best when I'm completely and utterly blind...for my part, I'll spend all my days reminding you of how much you shine. I promise.

[sugarmaplelife.livejournal.com]

No, I don't wonder about that at all. :) I know that you are here to help me stay awake, to encourage me to keep growing in awareness. {{{hugs}}}

[kehleyr.livejournal.com]

YAY!!