Warm Fuzzy Feelings

To backtrack a bit so my post makes more sense…  Back in October, one of the wives of a soldier in my husbands unit passed away.  Her husband was left with their 10 month old daughter and a deployment to Iraq coming in a few months.  I helped him out by watching his daughter for him so she wouldn’t be living in daycare.  Well, when it came time for him to move, he got a compassionate reassignment order to go to Florida rather than Iraq, he still had all of his wife’s belongings.  His sister-in-law came up and they went through her clothes.  They pulled out any special items and bagged the rest of it up.  He had no idea what to do with it; he didn’t want to sell it or give it to an organization that would, he didn’t want anyone profiting off his dead wife’s stuff.  So he gave them to me and asked that I hold onto them until someone needed them.  These clothes have taken up an entire wall of my dining room since February.
This week with the devastation of Hurricane Katrina I thought nothing was more deserving a cause to give these clothes away than to help the victims.  The problem I’ve run into was that none of the organizations taking donations want anything other than cash.  I have been extremely frustrated with this!  How the hell can you not take what generous people are trying to offer?  Isn’t any help better than no help?  Not everyone who wants to help can pack up and head off to LA or MS for a few weeks or have the money to spare for a donation.  I also don’t like giving money because I don’t trust that all my money is going to help, as it should. Well, I go to Wal Mart this afternoon to pick up cat and dog food and other household items.  When I get there I see Sheriffs cars and a big truck sitting out front collecting donations.  I go up and ask what they are accepting.  They tell me anything; food, water, diapers, etc.  So as I’m in there getting my stuff I pick up soap, toothpaste, toothbrushes, diapers, baby food, formula and water to give.  (I had forgotten how damn expensive a baby is!!)  When I give the items to the dudes manning the truck I ask if they are accepting used clothes.  They said “Yes, we will take anything you have to give.”  Man, I was so relieved!  I wanted to shout for joy that I was actually going to be able to help.  
So I run home and grab up all these clothes.  Man, that was an adventure.  Since I live on the second floor I just tossed these bags over the banister and then lugged them to my car from there.  Also in all this was a bassinet and an infant bouncy chair.  I go back to Wal Mart to give them this stuff and almost cry as I’m doing it.  I feel so good that I was able to do something.  And that it not only benefits these hurricane victims but that it also fulfills the wish of a devoted husband to his late wife.