How To Teach Your Children About Giving and Donating

It may be easy for you to go through your house and find things you no longer need or have grown out of, but, it can be more difficult for a child to give up their possessions. Children tend to develop attachments to the toys they have. Although your child may put up a fuss, it’s important to teach them about caring, goodwill and compassion for others.

One of the best ways to teach your child about selflessness can be to have them go through their room and find gently used toys, books or clothes they’d like to give or donate. When you are approaching them, make sure to tell them why you want them to pick out these items, instead of simply telling them to find things they don’t want anymore. While explaining the importance of giving, keep their age and maturity in mind. You can say something such as “some people don’t have money to buy toys. I know you haven’t played with that truck in a long time, and it could make another little child very happy.” Consider the timing as well -- having them go through their toys before Christmas because other children may not receive anything during that time, or around their birthday because other children may not receive birthday presents. You don’t need to guilt them, but it’s a good reminder that they understand not everyone is as lucky or fortunate as they are.

After they understand why you want them to find items, ask for their input on what they think your household doesn’t need anymore. Once you have your child on-board with donating, the process can be very fun for them! Include them in bringing the gently used items to the location, so they can better understand the process of what happens to those items after they are donated. Remember to reward them for their efforts with acknowledgment and praise.

Not only will this process give your child the experience of giving, it may also open their eyes to all the things they can be grateful for in their own life.

Consider donating to ThriftWorks!, a thrift store owned and operated by WACOSA, a nonprofit serving adults with disabilities. All proceeds from ThriftWorks! benefit the mission to provide individuals with disabilities the opportunity to work and live in their community.

We can accept:

• Women’s, men’s and children’s clothing & shoes
• Books, movies, games
• Toys
• Small household appliances
• Housewares
• Jewelry & accessories
• Linen & bedding
• Tools
• Furniture (after reviewed and approved)

Volunteer Position: Retail Specialist

Retail Specialist

Provide upbeat, positive customer service to all who enter WACOSA’s ThriftWorks! store. Manage donation drop-off, including assisting customers with accepting donations and providing receipts as directed by staff members. Sort and/or price donations. May include operating cash register and/or merchandising items on the store floor. This volunteer position is available Monday through Friday between 10:00am - 7:00pm, and Saturdays from 9:00am - 5:00pm. We ask that you volunteer for a minimum 4-hour per week shift. The day / time you are scheduled may vary according to your availability and the needs of our organization. This volunteer position is available at 310 Sundial Drive, Waite Park, MN. 

Interested in Volunteering? 

Contact Andrea Harrell 

320-251-0087 ext 227

aharrell@wacosa.org

http://wacosa.org/ways-help/volunteer/

Back-to-school Recycling Tips

As August comes to a close, it's time to start preparing for back to school. This school season we encourage you to recycle, reuse and save money! At WACOSA, we encourage everyone to recycle.

Here are some recycling tips to help you begin. Perhaps you can even save this money for that new refrigerator you’ve been meaning to buy!

1. Sort through your child’s old materials. There might be materials that can be reused or recycled. For instance, old binders and folders can be reused. Paper that has been written on only one side can be reused as well; you can cut it up and re-staple it together to make a notebook.

2. Make a list of school supplies you absolutely have to buy! This will limit emotional impulse buying. Having a plan of action makes it easier and will make your shopping faster and more efficient. 

3. Buy recycled products – such as pencils made from old jeans and binders made from cardboard boxes. You can also buy used goods from resale shops. 

4. Save all packaging, colored paper, cardboard, and egg cartons for craft projects. For instance, egg cartons are really great for making small critters and animals. 

5. Maintain durable products such as backpacks and notebooks. These items can be used for years, which will help reduce the amount of broken materials thrown away each year. 

6. Shop for clothing at community thrift stores to help upcycle old clothes into new ones for your child this year. For instance, WACOSA ThriftWorks! has fashionable clothes that will surely impress your child’s friends on the first day of school. 

Make this year a good year and follow the 3 R’s to help recycle, reuse, and reduce!

This back-to-school season will be an inexpensive, environmentally friendly, and fashionable one for you and your child!

Add Flair To Your Chair

You can find great quality chairs at thrift stores for a great price… but they may not be your style. This great opportunity for to practice your DIY skills! Here are 4 ways you can add flair to your chair:

1. Switch up the upholstery and you can transform an old beaten up chair into this decorative masterpiece! You can learn how to here.

2. Turn your fabric pieces inside out and pin them while on the chair for a fitted look! The trendy stripes on this chair are perfect for teenagers. Start making this chair here.

3. Office chairs don’t have to be boring! You can easily change the look by making a slipcover to put over it. This will completely brighten up your home office! Learn how to make this DIY chair here.

4. Look at this trendy nursery rocking chair! By simply painting it a different color and changing the cushioning of this rocking chair it gives it a totally new feel and look. 

Make your own trendy rocking chair.

When you’re out shopping for new furniture, stop by ThriftWorks! 

May ThriftWorks! Specials

Recycling: A Different Perspective

At WACOSA we encourage everyone to recycle. While you probably have seen our recycling bins located across Central Minnesota, have you ever wondered what happens after you’ve dropped your plastic bottles in the bin?

There are three steps to the recycling process. Although the phrase “reduce, reuse, recycle,” is commonly used, we hope our spin on the three steps will provide you with a new perspective of the recycling process.

1. Collection (Recycle)
Many homes and businesses have separate bins for recycled materials. Therefore, there are different methods of collection. The methods include: curbside pickup, drop-off centers, buy-back centers, and deposit/refund programs.

After the recyclables are collected, they are sent to a facility where they are sorted and prepared into profitable materials to be sold to different processing companies.

2. Processing (Reduce)
After being collected, the recycled goods are cleaned and sorted. Then they are processed to recover the raw materials. When the raw materials are retrieved, they are used to make the newly recycled products.

Before the recyclables can be made into new products, they must be broken down, melted or liquefied, and crushed or shredded.

3. Purchasing Recycled Products (Reuse)
Purchasing newly recycled products completes the recycling loop. These products are sent to stores to be purchased. The popularity of recycled products is growing immensely. More and more products are being manufactured with almost all recycled or partially recycled material. As long as we can keep it up with recycling, manufacturers will continue to produce high-quality recycled products.

Hoping to implement more recycling at your business or organization? Consider WACOSA’s recycling solutions. 

April Specials at ThriftWorks!

See how you can save this month at ThriftWorks! 

Spring Cleaning Gone Thrifty

Spring is near and it's always a good idea to get a head start on your spring cleaning list. When going through each room, you will likely come across objects you either forgot you had or don't have a use for anymore. Consider donating those items to a good cause. WACOSA's onsite thrift store, ThriftWorks!, is always looking for donations. 

ThriftWorks! accepts the following items:
· Women’s, men’s and children’s clothing & shoes
· Books, movies, games
· Toys
· Small household appliances
· Housewares
· Jewelry & accessories
· Linen & bedding
· Tools
· Furniture (only after reviewed and approved)

Make cleaning an exciting time by getting the whole family involved. Have your teens go through their closet, the little ones go through their toy room, and dads go through their tool shed. Let them know you will be donating their unwanted things to a good cause and it will be easier and and more rewarding experience.

Make separate piles of objects you know you want to keep, the things you maybe want to keep, and the things you for sure want to donate Once you're done with that, sort through your “maybe” piles with the whole family and it will take votes on what should stay and what should go.

By the time your spring cleaning is complete, you will have at least one thing to donate, we guarantee it.

  

Once your cleaning is finished, relax and feel good about making a donation to a place like ThriftWorks!.

Happy Spring Cleaning!

3 Thrift Store Finds You Won’t See at a Department Store

Thrift stores have a variety of different things, you never know what you are going to find. People shop at them because they are usually looking for certain things that department stores won’t have. Department stores typically provide matching sets of home décor and other high quality and expensive things, whereas thrift stores do not. Although thrifting can be fun, it takes a lot of patience. If you can’t find what you’re looking for one day, there are plenty of other days; people are always donating their antiques and other old things.

Here are 3 items that can be found at a thrift store and not at a department store:

1. Typewriters

Typewriters are a popular item to collect these days. People want them for display at their home or for use. They are a fun tool to have for scrapbooking; just make sure you test it out before bringing it home! Finding a typewriter at a thrift shop is either a hit or a miss. You have to shop at them regularly to find one because they are in high demand. If you aren’t picky about having a certain one and you see it at a thrift shop one day, buy it. Chances are the typewriter won’t be there the next day. On the other hand, if you are looking for a certain one, that will take some time. With some research and patience, you will find one.

2. VCRs

What's your favorite Disney VHS? 

Remember all the Disney movies on VHS? Everyone had them! Many people these days still have them because they are fun to have just in case you want to pop in an old classic one night. Even though Netflix has taken over, some households still have VCR players. If you don’t have one, they are so easy to find at thrift stores. People are donating them left and right because they have no use for them anymore. You can find one for $20 or less; and while you’re there, pick up a $.50 VHS.

3. Collectibles

If you are interested in a unique set of collectibles, thrift stores a great place to look for them. Collectibles like salt and pepper shakers, lunchboxes, porcelain dolls, stoneware crocks, and vintage glassware are popular in thrift stores. These items range from having a big display of them while others have only one or very few at a time. You just have to look through the entire thrift store. Only buy if it you really love it. Although you are a collector and you see a piece that you need, don’t get it if it’s not up to standards of what you’re looking for. There might be a little chip in it or missing a piece of it. You will find it!

If you’re looking for something specific and you know a department store won’t have it, check out your local thrift store. With a little high and low searching, you will find it. Also, many things there can be turned into an inexpensive and easy DIY project for your home. There is something for everyone at thrift shops; you won’t be disappointed in your finds.

So come check out ThriftWorks! at WACOSA, you might just find what you’re looking for.

ThriftWorks! January Specials