Fill a Backpack

I’m so excited about this little project because I think it will be lots of fun. Just to give a little background, on our last trip (see Trip Updates) we weren’t able to bring that many toys for the kids because all of our luggage was filled with necessities such as blankets, clothes, shoes, medicine, etc. We brought toys that were specifically given for the kids, but other than that, we didn’t take anything else. We felt that it was more important to bring the necessities.

I thought it would be fun to Fill a Backpack for each of the kids with different toys and goodies. I’ve purchased these three backpacks for the kids. The pink one is for Gabriela (obviously), the Iron Man is for Andrei and the Mario is for Cristian. I am really excited to fill these backpacks with all sorts of goodies for the kids.

Here’s a little information about the kids and some general ideas of what to put in each backpack…

Gabriela (girl, age 6): Barbies, baby dolls (can also include accessories), slippers, pajamas, underwear, socks, toothbrush, markers, colored pencils, coloring books, jewelry, play makeup, nail polish, hair accessories, etc.

Andrei (boy, age 5): cars, trucks, small balls, soccer ball, action figures, markers, colored pencils, coloring books, legos (but not too small), slippers, pajamas, underwear, socks, puzzles, games, etc.

Cristian (boy, age 3): cars, trucks, small balls, action figures, markers, colored pencils, coloring books, large legos, building blocks, Lincoln logs, slippers, pajamas, underwear, socks, etc.

I’ve also got some handmade goodies that I am really excited to make for them. I’ll post more about those projects later.

If you would like to donate any thing (whether new, used or handmade) to put in these backpacks, please let me know.

Thank you for your help. :)

Current Projects

Because of the many different goals I have, I feel like I always have ongoing projects. I really try to focus on having a current project at hand that we are working on. Our next trip is scheduled for September 2010. Our main focus for this upcoming trip is to raise money to purchase a food supply for Nicu, Mihaela and the children. On our last trip, we were blessed to be able to purchase some food for Nicu. It was such a neat experience for us. We were so grateful to my cousin and his wife who took us shopping and recommended food items to us. It was a really emotional experience for me. I was in tears the whole time we were walking through the store and while we drove to his house. I just remember being hungry all the time as a little girl, and I was so excited to be able to bring them food. I am so thankful to everyone who donated items for our yard and bake sale, as well as those who donated the auction items and also donated money. And of course, so thankful to family, friends, neighbors and everyone else who came to our sale and purchased the items. :) Without their help, I would not have been able to do that. It was so rewarding for me to be able to purchase that food for my brother and his family.

My goal is to be able to do that same thing on our next trip. In my trip updates, I mentioned that Nicu and his family cook on a 2 burner camping stove that is set up on a little table in their room. I would love to be able to purchase a real stove for him. It would make their lives so much easier and more comfortable. The money that we raise will go towards purchasing this food supply as well as purchasing the stove.

** As always, we accept any donations - clothes, shoes, garage sale items, auction items, items to sell, monetary contributions, etc.