Play it Forward... an opportunity for Pittsburghers to give

Have you ever been in a position where adding Christmas shopping to your budget was especially challenging? I remember those days. One year, we couldn't even afford a tree. It happens to so many of us.

There is an organization here in Pittsburgh that is trying to help ease that burden for families who just can't scrape together enough money to buy presents for their kids. It's called Play it Forward and I want to encourage those of you in the Pittsburgh area to consider donating to this fantastic organization. They are in their third year and there are various drop off locations throughout the region.

One thing that sets Play it Forward apart from the rest of the charitable organizations collecting toys for children -- the age cutoff isn't 12, it's 16, so it serves families with teenagers as well. And it doesn't discriminate. If someone is part of a family, they qualify. Period. 

Even families with two working parents with decent incomes can fall on rough times -- medical bills or home repairs can suck up their savings and large portions of their paychecks. The stress of holiday spending can be too much, even for them.

Of course, single parents can have especially rough. They don't want to disappoint their children, but there's only so much money to go around.

Play it Forward

That's where you come in. If you remember a time when you faced similar struggles, but have been blessed to be out of that period in your life, why not pay it forward? And if you're outside of the area, you can always make monetary donations via Paypal or with a credit card.

Here are some suggested gently used items to donate for kids 0-16:

• toys
• games
• puzzles
• books
• DVDs and VHS tapes
• stuffed animals
• electronics
• sporting equipment
• CDs
• bicycles
• jewelry and accessories
• purses
• diaries/journals

They are also in need of boxes, packing tape, and plastic bags for sorting and storing: garbage bags, kitchen bags, gallon-sized and larger Ziploc-type bags.

The "Shop for Free" day will be held at Century III Mall on December 13, 2014, so be sure to donate in plenty of time for the volunteers to sort and display your donations properly. 

My husband and I are putting together a couple of boxes full of goodies for the kids. Won't you join us? I'm counting on the GG community to step up to the plate and make a difference this holiday season. 

Giving from my heart,