Feel-good giving - From a Mother to Another

Yesterday an email popped into my inbox from JoJo Maman Bebe that really caught my eye.

 

Hate landfill, love giving

The headline was 'Give something worthwhile this Mother's Day'. In the email there was mention of the fact that a third of UK clothing ends up in landfill. A third! I hate this kind of waste. In fact, I hate the thought of anything still in working order simply being chucked in the bin simply because you don't know what to do with it. I also dislike clutter too, so regularly have the urge to purge! You might remember this from an earlier post when I spoke of my love of Freecycle.

For clothes, I regularly use the clothing bank at our recycling centre. When it comes to baby clothes, now that Little H is racing through the different sizes, I've tried a few different ways of getting rid of them by selling bundles on Facebook or Gumtree, or passing on to friends with younger babies. The main problem I've found with selling clothes is that it's an awful lot of effort for only a few pounds. Facebook is full of selling groups, and everyone has baby and toddler clothes to sell. It's a crowded market. Plus the time it takes to photograph and list everything... well I'm just not sure it's worth the effort.

From a Mother to Another

This is where the email from JoJo really struck a chord with me. They hate waste, and have set up a campaign in conjunction with Barnado's to ensure that these wasted clothes don't end up in the bin, but go to vulnerable families who need them. I love this idea. A part of me has been pondering for a while how easy it would be to ensure that my old stuff went to a good home. And by this I mean where it's really, really needed, not just to someone who loves a bargain or a freebie. But who could facilitate such a thing? Well it seems that JoJo Maman Bebe and Barnado's have done it.

It couldn't be easier to get involved. All the information you need is on a page on the JoJo Maman Bebe community website. But before you leave my page and go and read theirs, here's a quick summary:

1. Sort out a batch of clothes for a specific gender, size and season and put together 6-12 items which would make up 1-3 outfits. The clothes should be folded, clean and in good condition.
2. Download a special label and attach it to the bag of clothes.
3. Drop it off at a JoJo Maman Bebe shop before the 30 April.
4. Receive a gift voucher for £5 to spend in store for your troubles.
5. Take a photo of you with your donation and use the hash tag #mothertoanother

Ready to get involved?

So there you have it. I know for sure that I am going to prepare a donation. I reckon I can easily put together a summer bundle for a baby boy, and maybe a winter one too. Of course I will still sell and pass on some of our other baby clothes, but that's the beauty of this campaign. You can do both. But by taking part in #mothertoanother you get to enjoy that wonderful warm feeling of know that you have made a difference.

Disclaimer - I have not been asked to write about this campaign by JoJo Maman Bebe. I just happen to think that this is a blooming good idea and I wanted to share it.

Coincidentally a package from JoJo arrived through my letterbox yesterday too - a lovely polarfleece scarf to keep Bobble's neck warm during this Arctic spell that we seem to be having at the moment. The scarf is lovely and very fairly priced, as always with JoJo stuff. And, get this, they offer free delivery to all UK addresses - how good is that?

Logo credit: JoJo Maman Bebe