Tag: donating for veterans

Your Donations Fuel Veteran Advocacy

Posted on by Jordank

This week, the Vietnam Veterans of America (VVA) is hosting its National Convention in New Orleans, La. Representatives from chapters across the country will join to listen, learn about the issues facing veterans and strategize the next steps for the organization.

Like conventions in other industries and nonprofits (you may have been to one yourself), VVA’s will feature committee meetings, guest speakers, opportunities to break bread and socialize, and more. The difference with VVA? Everything is done in #service to #veterans.

Formed to support #Vietnam veterans in 1979, VVA now serves as an #advocate for veterans of all eras. With members having returned to U.S. soil with something less than a hero’s welcome, its motto is, “Never again will one generation of veterans abandon another.”

One of VVA’s most important missions is to ensure that all veterans and their dependents can access the #benefits guaranteed to them by the government. Its veteran service officers (VSOs) are deployed throughout the country to assist with claims.

The organization also educates service members and the public about the issues many veterans struggle with, including post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and mental health, chemical dependency, homelessness, physical disability, and exposure to Agent Orange and other toxics.

It’s a precarious time for veterans’ benefits. The slash-and-burn tactics the administration is using in pursuit of government efficiency could leave many veterans and their families struggling to access critical health care, housing assistance and other resources — and soon.

That makes VVA’s advocacy — and this year’s convention — even more critical to the people who have bravely served the nation. VVA will need to defend and justify its work even more fiercely to cope with cuts to Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) staffing and funding. And we can’t do this alone.

Your #generous #donations to ClothingDonations.org help fund everything we do — from the most informal morning coffee at a rural chapter to the high-level testimony VVA officials bring to the VA and Congress, your generosity and concern fuel our action. On behalf of America’s veterans, we thank you.

Shopping for Christmas … From Your Screens

Posted on by Jordank

The novel #coronavirus has upended life as we know it. Even the holidays haven’t been spared, with the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) recommending that more than 330 million Americans reconsider their Thanksgiving travel plans to stop the spread.

Generally speaking, the fewer people you come into close contact with, the better. And with Christmas, Hannukah and other celebrations due up, CDC lists “Going shopping in crowded stores just before, on or after Thanksgiving” as a high-risk activity.

Since it rarely requires interpersonal interaction, online shipping is low-risk. It has been growing apace with the internet for more than 25 years, and it is now set to eclipse all other channels for holiday gift-giving during the pandemic.

Retailers are ready to provide home delivery and contactless pickup if you’re willing to offer a credit card number. The deals aren’t bad, either; many outlets are offering loss leaders just to get you through their online storefronts.

Sitting in front of a screen trying to source great gifts can be tedious — there’s just no way to browse as fast as you might in a physical setting. That’s where online gift guides can help: They can point you in the direction of good gifts for anyone on your list.

Stuck for ideas? Just Google “gifts” and few keywords of the things and activities your giftee likes, and you’ll soon have a page of links to lists suggesting products with click-throughs to online stores ready to take your money.

Whatever they like — be it tech, gaming, music, movies, pets, exercise, cooking — there’s a gift guide for it. At the Organizing Blog, we like to give gifts that don’t add to clutter, meaning they are immediately useful or take up little space. Gourmet foodstuffs, a subscription to a streaming service, or a charitable donation are good options.

To help fund valuable veterans programs during a particularly stressful and often isolating holiday season, consider donating your extra stuff to ClothingDonations.org or making a direct donation of money or a vehicle to VVA.org. The veterans appreciate the help. Now get shopping!

Reasons Not to Shop on Black Friday

Posted on by Jordank

The circulars are out, and the buzz is building. There are so many deals to be had on the busiest shopping day of the year — how could anyone just sit around the house enjoying a long-awaited day off and some Thanksgiving leftovers?!

As tempting as some of those deals might be, you don’t have to shop on Black Friday. In fact, it might save you lots of money in the long run if you avoid the crowds and keep your credit cards hidden away in a drawer. Otherwise, you might overspend.

“We go with a list, but other tempting deals reel us in,” says Simply Organized Home. “Then, all of a sudden, we had to have it. After coming home and realizing we went over our budget, we get a sickening feeling down in our stomach.”

That sickening feeling foreshadows bills that might be a lot more than you want to pay after all of the gifts are given and all of the tidings are told. What’s more, a lot of that impulse stuff is probably unnecessary, so you and yours will have to find places to put it.

Then there’s the hassle of fighting the crowds — those legions of people who, like you, want to save a buck or two on whatever the “it” item is this year. Do yourself a favor and turn tail on those crowds unless you truly regard shopping as a competitive sport.

The fact of the matter is that you can probably get just as good a deal by shopping online, and do so in a more targeted and efficient way. If you know exactly what you want, you can probably get just as a good a deal while sipping coffee in your bathrobe.

And if you don’t buy those things nobody needs, you and your giftees will have less clutter to cope with at home. Less clutter means less anxiety — and less time spent simply managing one’s own possessions.

Use the day to plan what you want to give to your family and friends. Consider giving a gift that take up no space whatsoever, like a charitable donation to the Vietnam Veterans of America or another worthy nonprofit.

Or take a day to decompress. Instead of going to a mall or big-box store, “Go ice skating,” says The Minimalists. “Donate your time to a food bank. Play in the snow (or in the sand). Or just relax and enjoy the holiday season. Simply be together — no purchase necessary.”

Thank a Veteran for the Three-Day Weekend

Posted on by Jordank

Lots of people get Veterans Day off, making 2019’s observance into a three-day weekend. You can use some of that extra time to visit a retired veteran in a retirement home, or write a letter to a current service member. You can volunteer to help a veteran neighbor with their fall yardwork (as this blogger plans to do), or weed out some of your old, unused clothing and household items and donate them to ClothingDonations.org, simultaneously helping fund veterans programs around the country while streamlining your space. However you choose to observe the holiday, the nation’s veterans appreciate your support!

Harvest the Benefits of a Fall Garage Sale

Posted on by Jordank

The temperatures are cooling, the leaves are changing colors and soon enough, snow will be falling in many parts of the country. But although fall begins on Monday, Sept. 23, there’s still time to do a good #decluttering and make some money by selling the things you don’t want.

That’s right — fall is one of the best times of the year to have a garage, yard or tag sale. The weather is often as good as or better than it is in the summer, and having fewer sales and other events to compete with can help your sale corner the market.

“Spring and summer may be the most popular #garagesale seasons, but popular is not always a good thing,” says the Skywriters Garage Blog. “A fall garage sale typically faces little to no competition. With no competitors, you could be the busiest sale in town.”

What you decide to #declutter and tag can also have an impact on your fall sale’s success. Few people are looking to buy used Halloween, Thanksgiving and Christmas decorations during the spring and summer seasons; sell them now, and buyers will pay premium prices.

Similarly, nobody is thinking about cooler temperatures while they’re shopping in the sweltering summer sun. Down jackets, winter coats, sweaters and flannels will sell better as the weather starts to cool off.

You can also lure customers in by selling fall treats such as pumpkin bars and hot apple cider. Put the kids on this task and let them use the money to get Halloween costumes or whatever else they need for the season.

There are still six weekends until Halloween, when the northern states see a radical shift in temperatures and daylight hours; any of them is fair game for a sale. If you live further south, you’ll have more options before your neighbors hole up against the cold.

The money you earn can help fund a happy holiday season, and getting rid of excess #clutter is its own reward. “Before you batten down the hatches for a winter-long hibernation, decluttering and #organizing your home will help ease stress and make the season go more smoothly,” says Financial Avenue.

When your garage sale is over, #donate the lightly used clothing and household items that don’t sell to ClothingDonations.org. You’ll support valuable veterans programs throughout the country — and avoid bringing that clutter back into your home.