Day 134 - Red Anthurium

Thought of the day: Today I was trying to figure out what to do with clothes that Lila had outgrown.  The best option is, of course, to give them away to people we know.  We have been doing that over the years but unfortunately we seem to know far more baby boys than girls and most of her clothes are not suitable for boys.  Other options are consignment stores where you humbly wait for a clerk to pick through your clothes and reject most of them because they are not brand name items, or Craigslist that is more hassle than it's worth for clothes, or yard sales where buyers expect to pay next to nothing for things - which would be ok if not for the time and energy a yard sale typically consumes.  Finally, you can always give them away to charities.  However, there is a myriad of charities to choose from - EFAA, The Parenting Place, YWCA, Casa de la Esperanza, and a bunch of not-for-profit thrift stores, each with its own charitable focus and efficiency level.  And that's just for kids clothes.  What about adult clothes, furniture, books, toys, electronics, cars, etc?  Donating used goods is more than just getting rid of them.  In the same way that you don't just give cash away to a random person on the street, you want to donate your goods to the right charity and get the most usage out of them.  What we need is a web site that connects donors to local charities with ease.  The web site would provide information on charities including their missions and ratings, the charities would indicate what they need at the moment, the donors would indicate what they want to donate, and the best matches between the donors and the charities would then be made.  I think people may be more open to the idea of donating their things if it becomes easier.

Photo of the day:

A red flower against a window frame.  Simple and beautiful - as everything should be.