Happy Friday: Giving Back is What It’s All About
Sent from reader, Rachel:
A month ago I entered a photo contest and ended up winning. My prize was a $500 gift card to our local mall. My husband and I decided we wanted to take half and do some good with it by helping out families who are less fortunate. A neighbor mentioned her and a group of friends were organizing a Foster Care Sub 4 Santa, so we thought this would be the perfect cause to donate to.
I wanted to find some good deals so I would be able to get as much as possible, so when I saw JCPenney released some coupons I printed them and headed out to shop. My friend said pre-teen and teenage boys were the most in need since they often times get overlooked, so I put my focus on that age group. There were a lot of good deals in the clearance and sale section and combined with the coupons I was able to get all of this shown in the picture. I felt amazing after I completed my purchases, such an awesome experience.
My friend came and grabbed everything today and said they just got an additional 10 families who need help, so this would go to good use. I am so grateful I had the opportunity to give… that is what the holiday season is all about!! I was able to explain to my kids what I was doing and they were happy and excited as well. I may not be able to donate this much every year, but I definitely want to make this a family tradition!
HAPPY FRIDAY! 😀
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** Check out all the previous Happy Friday pictures here.
Heartwarming!
That is awesome! I would love to see your photo that won the contest. 🙂
That is so awesome of you! I’m sure those kids will appreciate everything, and what a great lesson to teach your own kids! I hope it comes back to you tenfold!
Awesome!
That was so nice of you to do! 🙂
awesome!!
Rachel, God bless you for your Christ-like example and thanks for sharing!
That’s awesome. If everyone was so generous, nobody would go without. Merry Christmas to you and yours! Thanks for all you do 🙂
Wow! Great job!
When my kids were small, I lost my job right before the holidays. I don’t know how we were contacted, because I didn’t know there were programs like that. But, I recieved a phone call from a volunteer, and she and her co-workers made Christmas for my kids and me. It was really emotional for me, and I’ve never forgotten their kindness. I try to give back when I can.
What an amazing and inspiring story. Once a week when I go through a drive thru (Starbucks, Chick-fil-A) where ever I always pay for the total of the car behind me. I was inspired by that happening to me one day. The order can be 3 dollars 10 dollars I do not mind, in my heart it pays to be generous and spread the generosity around. I honestly believe it matters and counts, for example: when my 6 year old wanted a treat after getting a good report card I agreed…we went through a drive thru and he said to me “Hey mom, can we pay for the person’s meal behind us today?” I looked at him a bit taken by surprise and said sure, why? “Well mom, I feel great because I did good in school this week and got a treat I want to make someone else have a great day too.” I don’t have money to blow, trust me with two children I am very tight with money but how can you say no to that? Good deeds occur all the time. Be that good deed every now and again. I promise it will not only make someone’s day it will brighten yours as well. Merry Christmas everyone!!
Aww, this made tears come to my eyes. Good tears, though! 🙂
Me too Kim! That’s so amazing Ashleigh!!!
Ashleigh, loved reading this. 🙂
YES Exactly!! So glad for people like you in this world!
someone paid for my drink one day (the car in front of me) it was incredibly sweet.
Bless you and your family. If only there were more amazing people like you in this world..
Wonderful example…I cannot wait to show my kids this story in the morning!
Very sweet! Those boys will be so please– great of you to concentrate on that age group.
I love to hear storys like this there are kind people in this world i work in a pharmacy and this old lady had no money to pay for her rx so i paid for her it made me want to cry on how these old people have no money for there rx .. sad so keep up the good work everyone and have a Great Christmas ……..
Good for you. 🙂
God Bless You! Such a wonderful example of the true holiday spirit. Thank you for sharing.
That is wonderful!!
What a great story!! Thank you, Collin! I recently won a $500 contest too! You can see the video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=HDX6BEmJmYM
Rachel, it was so nice of you to do that! Your generosity will make Christmas so special to those it will help.
I got goosebumps! Beautiful. We donated to toys for tots still feel like we should have done more ;(
Love this 🙂 We have started the same tradition at our house, we pick a family in need for the holidays and i let my 3 kids shop for them. They love it and look forward to it each year. We added Thanksgiving to our giving this year also. We bought everything the family would need for a traditional turkey dinner and delivered it to them. It is the best feeling to have helped someone else isn’t it? We are not made of money either we have 3 kids and i have been un-employed for this past year, but i tell my kids we are blessed to have each other, food and a roof over our head and if we can help someone else then we always will. Have a Merry Christmas i loved reading this.
On Monday, I donated my stash of travel sized toothpastes, mouthwashes, hair care items, and some other items that I had gotten either free or really cheap to a local church who helps those who can’t afford those things on their own. I only had one storage tub 3/4 of the way full because I had only been collecting for about two months and I helped two friends with Christmas as well. I am getting ready to fill it up my storage container and hopefully more storage containers this coming year so I can do it all over again! 🙂 In addition, I am also helping a friend learn to coupon so she can feed her family for less. We started today. I helped her get 3 free items plus 1 really cheap item using coupons. I couldn’t have done it without this site! 🙂 Thank you so much for all you do! 🙂
Very nice. 🙂
That is awesome! God bless you!! Merry Christmas!!
I love stories like this! I have donated to 4 families this year with help from Hip2Save posting GREAT deals that I could afford more items! I have 5 kids and couldnt imagine not being able to do for them but I know sometimes its ROUGH! We went to see Santa and he gave gifts (not cheap ones! gave things like operation game, soccer net with ball, other board games) My oldest heard me and a friend talking about a family she knew wasnt going to have anything for their 6 year old. He said he wanted to take his gift and give it to the boy, he also came home and took all the cash in his bank (only $25) and went to the dollar store and bought two of the biggest gifts he could find! It is so nice to see kids his age understanding that he didnt need the stuff and it was helping another kid! I am so proud of my boy! He also was proud of himself and decided he didnt need anything at all for his birthday or Christmas, he wanted to donate all of it! Well we told him he did such a good thing he could keep his gifts! I am going to make it a tradition as well!
That is so sweet!
You are an angel ! God Bless You.
great job santa
Thank you Rachel it means alot to me to hear stories of people helping foster children. We hear daily about foster animals needing this and that but its our foster children that get left out. They dont ask to be put where they are but they are stuck and sometimes with very little stuff to be proud of. We recently took in 4 foster children and most people would be surprised to see what they come in the system with and what it takes to get the children what they need. God will shine down on you and bless you for your gifts.
My husband and I are fostering our two grandsons AND we have our daughter and her two daughters with us too. We are on an extremely tight budget because I am the only one that has a full time job and my husband is a disbled vet. Because of someone’s generosity, my grandsons had one of the best Christmas’ of their lives. I have seen God’s hand at work so much lately with everything that is going on in our lives. God bless those that give and I know that my gransons were impressed as well.
Beautiful.
aw this is great to read about!!
Good Job. What a great example you are showing to your kids.
This mornings local news was live from the Los Angeles mission interviewing families who had been waiting in line since 5pm yesterday so their kids could have a hot meal and one toy. As the newscast went on (3hrs.) people started showing up with more donations. It was so heart warming and sad at the same time because the need is so great.
As the female reporters were in tears the older male reporter said, instead of asking “What did you get for Christmas”, ask “What did you give?”
Rachel you would have no problem anwsering that question!
Exactally!!!! what did we all give and not get this year?? that is what is most important! thank you all for the heartwarming stories and for sharing the true meaning of CHRISTmas! “whatsoever you do to the least of my brothers, that you do unto ME”. god bless each and every one during this season of giving!
Love that verse. Thanks for the reminder.
I love reading stories like this! This is why I love Hip to Save… Collin promotes giving from the heart. What a wonderful example for all of us for this season and throughout the year.
Way to help out a family in need for the holidays. That is so generous and thoughtful of you! 🙂
These stories warm my heart. I was at a luncheon recently for our elementary school staff and a teacher was telling me about how her husband’s boss had adopted a family for Christmas and how her husband was able to deliver the gifts. It was a very touching story.
I grew up on the receiving end of this kind of generosity and love. I was raised by my grandmother who was disabled herself and also raising my two younger brothers who both have disabilities. My mother (disabled herself as well) lived with us also. Grandma was struggling to take care of all 5 of us on only her social security income. Many nights she did without food so that us kids could have our fill. She didn’t wear socks because she felt like we needed warm new socks more. She sacrificed at every turn and did everything she could for us. She did an amazing job at keeping a roof over our head, food on the table and clothes on our backs. The holidays were always difficult for her though and depressing because many years the income stopped there and there was nothing left for toys or candy or other gifts.
One year Grandma made me a doll for Christmas. Cabbage Patch Kids were just coming on the scene and several of my friends were getting them. She worked hard to make me my own doll using old nylons and scraps of cloth for clothing. That doll along with 3 little dresses for it, a used ride on horse that was given to her by a friend for my youngest brother, and a football were to be the only gifts under our tree that year. There was to be no special Christmas dinner or treats or anything of the sort. We didn’t even have a real tree. We had a construction paper one taped to the wall. It was good though and we were happy because we had been taught to be thankful and gracious and we knew we were loved and safe and that’s all that we needed.
A few days before Christmas there was a knock at the door. We opened it and was astonished to see Santa Claus himself. He gave a big belly laugh as he came in to the house and he headed straight for my mom’s rocking chair with a bag flung over his shounder. He sat his bag down and scooped up my youngest brother (then about a year old) on to his lap and asked him what he wanted for Christmas. My brother was a little freaked out by Santa, being so young, but my other brother was quite excited to give Santa his list. Then he got to me and asked me what I wanted for Christmas. At that very moment the only thing I could think to ask for was a stuffed koala bear. Imagine my surprise when Santa reached in his bag and pulled out a gorgeous, soft and fluffy stuffed koala bear for me. 🙂 My brothers each got their favorite bears (brown bear and panda at the time) from Santa’s sack as well. He gave my grandma gloves (she desperately needed them and was in tears!) and he gave my mom a watch. He left without saying much. I knew not to expect Santa on Christmas Eve as he had already came and I was beyond thrilled with my stuffed koala and the fact that Santa, the REAL Santa, had been in MY house, while I was awake, and had the very gift I wanted most.
On Christmas Eve there we heard a commotion outside. I looked out the window to see our yard filling up with people. I ran to get my grandma. I really thought something must be wrong. By the time I got her and went back to the window, our entire front yard was filled with people holding candles. They began to sing. I had only saw carolers on TV, never in real life before. I just stood there, on the couch, looking out the window, with wide eyes. I looked over at my grandma who was now at the front door and she had tears streaming down her face. I wasn’t sure why she was crying, having carolers was a nice thing, after all. As the crowd finished up we all stepped outside and clapped for them. One of the men from the group came forward and said something to my grandma. She hugged him and then ushered my brothers and I inside. People from the crowd began to follow us inside with box after box of food. My grandma kept crying and I knew that something special was happening.
The next morning we woke up to find a beautiful *real* Christmas tree complete with colored lights and decorated with Hot Wheels cars and Dazzle Dolls (anyone remember those? I’m aging myself here!). I could smell turkey in the oven and there was fudge and cookies and candies as far as the eye could see (well, that’s how 7 year old me perceived it!). Under the tree was package after package for my brothers and I and even my mom and grandma. There were pajamas and winter coats and other new clothes, shoes, toys, everything I could ever have imagined that Santa would bring. It was truly amazing.
Years later I found out that as those people were carrying food in the front door that another group of people was carrying toys, clothes, and a Christmas tree in the back door. At least 50 people had gotten together to adopt our family for Christmas. We were beyond blessed with everything and that Christmas made such an impact on me that I will NEVER forget it.
To this day I firmly believe in Santa and I tell everyone as much because Santa IS alive and well. He isn’t just one person though, he is thousands of people. Santa lives on through so many of us. So, for all of you who are so wonderfully kind and generous, just know that you are touching lives and you are setting an example for future generations as well. The love shown to us made me want to return the love and every year since then I have found ways to give to others as others gave to me!
Wow…what a beautiful story…made me cry!!! Giving to someone less fortunate has always been a tradition in my family. My mom would go to those angel trees and find something really basic…like a 50 year old man asking for socks. I didn’t understand when I was little, but my mom would buy them socks, a hat, mittens, a scarf and a few other items. I never understood why my mother didn’t pull more tags off if she was going to buy all this stuff. When I got older she explained it to me. She said “If someone is asking for something as simple as socks, they need much more.” This has stuck with me and as a 23-year-old I do this too. I hope that the recipients of these gifts know that someone cares 🙂
WOW, that was beautiful!!! So glad you shared it with us!
So sweet. You were blessed. Merry Christmas.
What an amazing story, you brought tears to my eyes! Thank you for sharing!
What a beautiful memory, thank you for sharing. I really like what you said about as kids you knew to be thankful for what you did have. I knew this growing up as well. We didn’t have a lot but what we did have I loved and appreciated. I didn’t even compare myself to my friends who did have more because that just wasn’t the way of the world then (and I’m only 28). It really frustrates me today to see all the ungrateful people around. That is what is wrong with our world today. I enjoy sharing and giving to other people but sometimes I busy myself so much that I don’t see the needs right in front of me or take time to find them. And so many of us who have an abundance are still looking around the corner for whatever else we can get or “need.” I really appreciate this story and I’m going to strive to do better at being aware of the needs around me next year!
Oh my – such an amazing story – I hope you don’t mind me copying to my Facebook to share – this is what Christmas should always be about.
I am truly blessed and humbled and PROUD to be a part of this group! What a collection of lovely, generous and thoughtful beings. Each and every single thing we do has an affect on another person. Just imagine what kind of joy you all have brought to so many this season! No matter how much you have or may not have, you gave from your hearts just so someone else would have something this Christmas. May God’s blessings be yours, not only this Christmas, but for all of 2012 and beyond.
Deborah…You said that you’re “Proud to be a part of this group!”…. I hadn’t looked at it like that before, but I absolutely have to agree with you. There are so many wonderful, generous, good hearted people that are a part of Hip2Save, that I, too, am very proud to be a part of this group!! This website has given me the ability to donate many things to multiple different people in need as well. I want to Thank everyone for continuing to be positive, helpful, and generous!!! A huge Thank You to Hip2Save, Collin and all the others that help her make this such a successful website…a friend….
I always feel this way as well!! I am only 21, but I HATE it when people on the comments are fighting…I’m pretty sure most of you are older than me, please act like adults! We all have a similar goal…to save money and improve our lives. We should bind together, and I don’t mean just for right now and the holidays, but all the time, year round. I am happy to be a part of the group who coupons and saves, but I also have been able to give to charity and give things to my in-laws (who live in a third world country) things that I would not have been able to give other wise. THANK YOU so much Colin, you truly are a God-send, I wish you so much success and happiness in the upcoming year <3
That is so awesome!! I received a coupon for a FREE build a bear…HUGE deal in our house as that is the BEST treat for my two girls. Considering the reason for the season we went down to the mall, picked out a bear—put TWO hearts and TWO wishes on “her”, had her stuffed and placed in a donation box for children who have had a traumatic experience this year. My two girls were happy to be able to share this Christmas and give to someone something they love so much…my youngest even wrote about it later in school. I’m so proud of them!! There was no fighting and saying “mine!” A great lesson shared!! Merry Christmas everyone!! 🙂
I wish there was a “Like” button for this post and all the comments! I have tears in my eyes reading all of this. I also am proud to be part of this group and am so inspired by all of you! Merry Christmas!
I have been a foster/adoptive parent for seven years. These children often come to our homes with a grocery bag that contains all of their clothes. Their clothes are frequently too small or severely damaged. These are their favorites because they remind them of home so we never take them away from them. But being able to give them new clothes gives them a choice of what to wear.
Yes, we are given a stipend to meet the basic needs of these beautiful children. We live in a state with the highest rates. It is less than $20 a day per child. I am in no way complaining!
Rachel, your generosity made it easier for a foster family/families to provide some extra gifts at Christmas time. Teens are the ones overlooked because people love to give to the younger “cute” kids.
Somewhere a child is learning that there are people in the world who are kind, and generous. What a wonderful and needed life lesson for these wounded children.
I thank you.
There is a new way of helping and it is called Layaway Angels. This week I went down to a local store that has layaway and paid for 2 strangers layaways so that they would be able to have a nice Christmas for their family. You can choose the amount you wish to donate and they give you a list of people who have unpaid layaway, you can then choose who you wish to donate to. The store then calls the family to let them know they can pick up their order and that it’s paid for. It was a great feeling!
God Bless You Rachel
I lead a Daisy girl scout troop and we decided to Adopt-a-Family this year. The other parents were amazed at how much I was able to buy, thanks to deals I found on Hip2Save. At church the next Sunday, it was announced there were still 30 families that hadn’t been adopted. So I adopted a family with three girls ages 7,8,9 – similar in age to my two girls. I’m not musical or artistic, however I love sharing my talent of bargain shopping to help others. Merry Christmas!
That’s AWESOME! I also have a Girlscout troop and we adopted 5 girls from a shelter (ages11-13) because of course the little kids were taken and i thought my girls would just pick 2 girls, no way they said how can you not buy for ALL of them! I love being able to help the girls with my coupons and deals i read about, but i realy love what beautiful young ladies we are helping to learn that the world doesn’t revolve around them and to help our neighbors.
Love these stories! I’m so inspired to do more after hearing how generous others are. Luckily I’ve never been on the recieving end of charity & love hearing that it does actually make a difference to some. Too often I hear about people abusing the welfare system & such, so this restores my faith in honest folks needing help & getting it.
My girls & I just raided our “gift closet” & are heading up to donate to Toys 4 Tots today. We do this every year at Christmas. We donate to the charities/needy families through our schools, but I always wish I could do more & teach my kids about giving rather than receiving.
So nice to read what Christmas is really about. Thanks (everyone!) for sharing these beautiful and inspiring stories! THIS is what puts me in the Christmas spirit.
Way to go Rachel!!!!
I love this 🙂 If everyone gave to someone, no one would do without! I also was able to do a little for a friend who is currently homeless in Oregon with his 3 year old son. They had to leave Hawaii after a nasty divorce and my friend was unable to find work and ended up losing everything. So, thanks to Collin posting some awesome deals – and Amazon prime of course – I was able to send a few things to brighten their day tomorrow since they wouldn’t be celebrating otherwise. It breaks my heart knowing there are children out there going without. I love that so many H2S readers are extending their hearts to others! Merry Christmas everyone!
Thanks again for the picture and inspiration above. Wow! Thank you for the Hip 2 Save. We went to Toys R Us for their $1.00 sale on the Buzz Light Operation. I bought 3 – 1 to keep and 2 give away (1 to a friend who was struggling the other to Kid for Cancer hospital benefit). I also asked for bunko friends to donate gift cards to this year for a family in need. I totally agree if everbody helped somebody it would be a better world. We donated a ham and gift cards to this family. Little things make a difference in a big way.
That is so cool! As a foster parent I really appreciate programs like this! You sacrifice so much as a foster parent already and so do your bio kids and some times this mean your own children get a lot less for Christmas because you try so hard to make everything equal! It’s programs like this that make Christmas!
You are Awesome!!!
This is a very touching story I know that you will be truly blessed for the great thing you have done. It is wonderful!!! TO know there is great people inthe world like you!!! Thank you for this wonderful heartfelt blessing you gave to that family!!!!
Good Karma!!!!