Imagine…

It isn’t hard these bitter winter days to imagine yourself cold, but imagine your child cold.  None of us want to see anyone in need- especially kids.  This month along with a ton of other kids clothing 10 winter kids coats have been donated to help children in need brave the winter months ahead.  Thank you for your amazingly generous hearts and prayers.  Four giant filled bags are making their way to children in need tomorrow. More January donation and pictures to come soon!!

Out of the Bag and Into their Hands

Click on the “Our Purpose 2011″ tab to learn how Help Bags has been reborn and all the opportunities you have to help those in need.

Mary Vincent’s Handmade Hats

Mary Vincent of United Wesleyan Church hand made 27 of these beautiful and warm hats.  Mary has ensure 27 men at Charlotte’s Uptown Men’s Shelter are warmer today than they were yesterday!

If you want to make scarves or hats for those in need or if you have spare winter coats for men, women or children please email me at psmullen@helpbags.org and I will get them to those in need for you.

A Brand New Year! A Brand New Look To Help Bags!!

Big changes are coming this year to Help Bags. Needs have changed and so have we! Be watching daily for updates, news and how you can help in Charlotte or your area!!
Welcome 2011!!

Rowan County Distribution this week!

Twenty-five Help Bags will reach those in need in Rowan County this week through Rowan Helping Ministries.  The official Help Bags deliverer ( my mom : ) ) will be dropping them off to these great folks this week.

We are still in need of all supplies and would love to get a bunch of small flashlights stockpiled for the coming winter months.  Can you help?

Home Depot

Home Depot currently has a pack of 15 mini LED flashlights for less than $10.  I would love to be able to put these in the winter Help Bags if possible. If you see a pack … or several and want to help Help Bags it would be really appreciated!!

Emergency rain ponchos are also needed if you happen to run across some.

Thanks!!

Fun Fun Fun!!

What a fun afternoon at the home of Carolyn Davis! We started out by walking around their huge lawn learning about chickens and gardening and debated starting a llama farm in my mind : ) We followed up with snacks and in record time packing 100 Help Bags!

Fifty of the bags are headed to one of our favorite places – Concord’s Opportunity House.  The remaining 50 are headed out to the Stewards of Christ.  My friend Kat is a member of Stewards of Christ.  These amazingly huge hearted Christians go out on Thursday nights for several hours to the streets of downtown Charlotte.  They walk around for hours talking with homeless they come in contact with as well as passing out water or snacks.  They offer to pray with anyone who would like to as well.  They not only seek out but reach out to those who so many go out of their way to avoid in their day to day walk.

In the mere 15 minutes it took us to pack up the Help Bags we made a possibly 100 people out there feel like they matter, like someone cares.

Want to help Help Bags? We always need supplies – could you host a drive? Maybe you and your friends or group would like to put some Help Bags together? Running low on time these days like we all are? You can sponsor a quantity of Help Bags or drop off or mail supplies. Or the biggest request of Help Bags??? PRAYER!! Pray for Help Bags and those we reach out to.

Thanks – have a great day!!!

Flood!!

On Sunday June 27th at United Wesleyan Church’s FLOOD ( Rocky River Road, Charlotte NC ) is hosting a drop off for Help Bag supplies from 5-7pm.

Come experience God in a whole new way.  Awesome music, good food, and a whole new approach!!!!  There is a fantastic band with modern music and a plain spoken, easy to follow message.  Flood is perfect for anyone ~ especially people who are looking for an alternative contemporary service.

At 5pm there is a free BBQ – the whole family is invited!!  Enjoy delicious hot dogs and hamburgers BBQ’d on site as well as fresh sides and drinks before the service begins!

The most needed donation items for Help Bags are:

socks ( oh when aren’t they needed…….),

rain ponchos ( the emergency ones like they have at the dollar store ),

and individually wrapped snacks.

See the green donate tab on this site for all the items that make up a Help Bag.All items from this drive will be going to Davidson County Shelter’s very first batch of Help Bags!!!

Check out FLOOD on Facebook and at their www.floodworship.org.  Hope to see you on the 27th!!

Here to Their

The fantastic ladies of Here to Their woke up extra early May 12th and came down to Nexus’ Hope Cafe to pass out Help Bags! Eighty-two bags were distributed in all! Please make sure to check out the Here to Their website in the green Links portion of our home page! Thanks Here to Their!!!!!!!!

What would I do without CPM’s??

What a wonderful evening! Carolyn Davis and her husband brought the whole family over to my house and we assembled eighty Help Bags tonite!! The kids were so fun and full of energy and I absolutely I loved them!!
Carolyn is a member of the Central Piedmont Mommies. They are such an amazing bunch of beautiful, huge hearted, generous, hard working moms! I have been so blessed by them time and time again.
Thanks so much to the Davis Family!! 50 Help Bags will be going to Concord’s Opportunity House this week and 30 will be on their way to Salisbury’s Rowan Helping Ministries!