Booty in a Backpack
Donation protected
Booty in a Backpack
Mission: Our mission is to gift the homeless of Kentuckiana with gently-used (or new) backpacks full of needs for daily living. We would like to fill 500 backpacks to distribute over the winter months, preferably before the temperature really takes a dive!
This is approximately $20 per filled backpack, and we feel this is totally achievable! We would love to have your help with our mission.
I originally came up with this idea when a good friend of mine was buying cars at auction from the local impound lot. Once the car was his, all the items in the car now belonged to him. I would help him go through the cars and many items we would re-purpose, donate to the Goodwill and some things we would throw away. We never knew what would be in a car until he had it in his possession and were actually going through the car. Often times we would come across clothing items, bags, towels, books, shoes, tools, etc. and it dawned on me one day last year that it would be a great idea to repurpose these items to the homeless around town.
The idea was fleeting but I started to gather items but life happened leaving my idea on the back burner, however it has stuck with me for quite some time, and just recently I decided to launch Booty in a Backpack. I am a local Lyft and Uber driver and with that being said, I am all over town every single day. I may drive over a 100 miles a day with passengers taking them hear, there and everywhere, and while out driving I see many homeless individuals on the streets. It then occurred to me my job was the perfect vehicle in which to deliver the Booty in the Backpack project! I posted the information out there on the rideshare driver facebook pages and have had such a great response from other drivers who also want to participate in the project. I recruited Robert Robinson and Cheri Smith to help me spread the word and assist with administration on the Booty in the Backpack facebook page. I could not be more thrilled to have such a willing and generous team!
I chose the word 'Booty' because gained items or treasures from a pirate ship was known as booty. These items could become the treasures of another, specifically those less fortunate. I would like to fill these backpacks full of booty which would consist of non-perishable food items, along with gently used hoodies, long sleeve shirts, sweaters, new and clean socks, gloves, toboggans, hats, scarves, rain ponchos, small blankets, hand warmers and small boxes of matches, as winter approaches. Other items that we would like to include in the backpacks are:
plastic eating utensils, travel size personal hygiene products (toothbrush and toothpaste, bars of soap, lotion, chapstick, hand sanitizer, combs, brushes, wet wipes, feminine products, deodorant), hard candy, mints, gum, etc.
It is already November, and although today (the 2nd) actually got hot outside, it is just a matter of time before the temperature drops and will be very cold making it very challenging for the homeless of our community to stay warm. We would like this project to be ongoing and would love to have our funds raised YESTERDAY, but realize yesterday would be quite a lofty goal. Our goal is just the sooner the better! The sooner we can raise funds to buy the items listed above, the sooner we can help our homeless brothers and sisters.
I personally have never experienced homelessness, but knowing that we are all connected, all ONE, means that anything and everything I do creates a ripple effect and effects all others. By gifting these individuals of the community with a little bit of light, this to may be spread to others extending out further and further in to the community creating an overall better life for all.
Your donation does not have to be monetary, you can most definitely donate the items listed above. The backpacks and clothing items do not have to be new, just clean and warm! But if these items are not something that you have and you would still like to donate, we will gather these supplies with the donated funds! Any donation, even your donation of time is so greatly appreciated by so many!
Mission: Our mission is to gift the homeless of Kentuckiana with gently-used (or new) backpacks full of needs for daily living. We would like to fill 500 backpacks to distribute over the winter months, preferably before the temperature really takes a dive!
This is approximately $20 per filled backpack, and we feel this is totally achievable! We would love to have your help with our mission.
I originally came up with this idea when a good friend of mine was buying cars at auction from the local impound lot. Once the car was his, all the items in the car now belonged to him. I would help him go through the cars and many items we would re-purpose, donate to the Goodwill and some things we would throw away. We never knew what would be in a car until he had it in his possession and were actually going through the car. Often times we would come across clothing items, bags, towels, books, shoes, tools, etc. and it dawned on me one day last year that it would be a great idea to repurpose these items to the homeless around town.
The idea was fleeting but I started to gather items but life happened leaving my idea on the back burner, however it has stuck with me for quite some time, and just recently I decided to launch Booty in a Backpack. I am a local Lyft and Uber driver and with that being said, I am all over town every single day. I may drive over a 100 miles a day with passengers taking them hear, there and everywhere, and while out driving I see many homeless individuals on the streets. It then occurred to me my job was the perfect vehicle in which to deliver the Booty in the Backpack project! I posted the information out there on the rideshare driver facebook pages and have had such a great response from other drivers who also want to participate in the project. I recruited Robert Robinson and Cheri Smith to help me spread the word and assist with administration on the Booty in the Backpack facebook page. I could not be more thrilled to have such a willing and generous team!
I chose the word 'Booty' because gained items or treasures from a pirate ship was known as booty. These items could become the treasures of another, specifically those less fortunate. I would like to fill these backpacks full of booty which would consist of non-perishable food items, along with gently used hoodies, long sleeve shirts, sweaters, new and clean socks, gloves, toboggans, hats, scarves, rain ponchos, small blankets, hand warmers and small boxes of matches, as winter approaches. Other items that we would like to include in the backpacks are:
plastic eating utensils, travel size personal hygiene products (toothbrush and toothpaste, bars of soap, lotion, chapstick, hand sanitizer, combs, brushes, wet wipes, feminine products, deodorant), hard candy, mints, gum, etc.
It is already November, and although today (the 2nd) actually got hot outside, it is just a matter of time before the temperature drops and will be very cold making it very challenging for the homeless of our community to stay warm. We would like this project to be ongoing and would love to have our funds raised YESTERDAY, but realize yesterday would be quite a lofty goal. Our goal is just the sooner the better! The sooner we can raise funds to buy the items listed above, the sooner we can help our homeless brothers and sisters.
I personally have never experienced homelessness, but knowing that we are all connected, all ONE, means that anything and everything I do creates a ripple effect and effects all others. By gifting these individuals of the community with a little bit of light, this to may be spread to others extending out further and further in to the community creating an overall better life for all.
Your donation does not have to be monetary, you can most definitely donate the items listed above. The backpacks and clothing items do not have to be new, just clean and warm! But if these items are not something that you have and you would still like to donate, we will gather these supplies with the donated funds! Any donation, even your donation of time is so greatly appreciated by so many!
Organizer
Elizabeth Elliott
Organizer
Louisville, KY
