Saturday, August 3, 2013

21 Feeding Love with Love

I love oh so much that I was invited to be part of the Target inner circle earlier this year.  Here is why.

Target is my second home and I am honored to have joined such a talented group of people.  That in itself is. amazing.

But what is even more incredible to me, and one of the reasons Target is a brand that I am honored to partner with, is because of their constant community outreach and desire to give back.  Not only do they do things locally, a few weeks ago they also launched their new Feed USA products and initiative.  Have you heard?  Have you seen?  Crazy cute stuff here folks.  And as much as I adore a great set of canisters and darling bins and baskets, bottom line is that this collection is providing meals to children and families across America.  If you check out the number on the specific Feed product, you will notice how many meals will be sponsored by that purchase.  Love.



Target also chatted it up with some of their Inner Circle members, and challenged us to give back locally as well.  Feeling inspired by their Feed initiative, the boys and I used the fantastic canisters as part of a little neighborhood treat stand.


Because I was involving the kiddos, we decided to keep it really simple with "Treats for Charity."


First, this was fun because the kids and I were able to spend an afternoon baking together.  We baked blueberry muffins, brownies and cookies.  Lots of cookies.  Nothing fancy, straight from the box stuff here folks.  This girl wasn't made for the kitchen and it was a miracle they didn't end up being jack-hammered from the baking pan {due to repeat customers, I am guessing they weren't half bad}.  We also made up a few gallons of lemonade.

The concept was to exchange the treats for a donation to the local food pantry.  Individuals could either purchase a snack and/or lemonade, or bring a non perishable food item to donate.

We brought our backyard dining table out front, and gathered some items from around the home to draw attention to the treat stand.  This included some plants, balloons, trays, etc...  We also used our menu planning chalkboard to create a simple little menu for any individuals walking by and a large woven basket to collect the food items that were donated.


We received an extremely generous first customer who happened to be driving by as we were setting up.  It got the boys geared up for the day and they even did a wonderful job spreading the word throughout our neighborhood and recruiting customers.  The boys were planning on running the stand for a few hours, and you can imagine the mushy gushy super proud mommy heart I had when I said it was time to take it down and they wanted to do it for longer.  So they did.  They were really excited and feeling great about the outcome of their time and what it stood for. 


We have held lemonade stands like this before, just for the fun of it, and they have never done as well or have been as successful as this one.  It wasn't about the treats or the lemonade, it was about the cause.  People were excited to see the kiddos involved and what it stood for, and really came through so the boys could make a wonderful contribution to our food pantry.  We are so grateful for that, and it was really a simple and fun experience, something anyone could easily do to make an impact.  One thing the boys thought was extra neat, is that the food pantry can really make their donation stretch.  A single dollar can purchase multiple meals, just how many will always vary by location, but it is an interesting fact worth checking into.

It is important for our family to always find ways to give back.  And I rarely talk about it or blog about it because I believe that it's something you do just because it is the right thing.  But I also believe in sharing simple little stories and solutions like this, to help inspire at least one more person to do something similar.  Our investment was simple, a few ingredients to bake and some lemonade mix, plus our time and we were able to make an impact. 

Target does it again!  Products that are both darling yet inspiring, you can check out the entire collection here.  Do you have a fav?  Isn't that "Feed Love with Love" pillow superfab?  And just as Target challenged us, I am challenging you.  You in?


As a member of the Target Inner Circle, I was provided Target products from their FEED USA line, however, all ideas, opinions and lack of baking abilities are my own.

21 comments:

  1. I love when parents get their children involved with sharing, giving and charity!!! That's awesome!

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  2. what a lovely gesture! And think of how many other good deeds you've inspired with your fabulous treats for charity? wonderful!

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  3. I love love your idea and how you involved your kids too! Maybe il throw a party like this Luke And end of summer party! I have a super old "feed" bag that I bought a whole foods a while ago. I have to get the target goodies now! Cheers!
    Ursula (blogger at http://kraftmint.com

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  4. Jen, this is fantastic! I love what you and your little ones did and I really love that there's a bigger lesson going on here. Good, good stuff!

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  5. We bought some of the metal baskets for my husband's closet and I bought the Feed Love with Love pillow for my son's nursery. I love the brand!

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  6. Very cool!!! Got a little misty eyed reading about your boys excitement! So glad you posted this! I am in. I get excited about ideas but have a hard time following through. I am committing to do something though (with my kids)! Thanks for the inspiration.
    xo,
    Amber

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  7. Such an awesome idea! What a good way to involve the kids!

    Jamie

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  8. But why does Target have to be so anti "Christmas"? So tired of everything being "Happy Holidays." I won't shop there anymore.l

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  9. I love everything in the Feed collection & think it's amazing that the things only cost a little more than the # of people they feed. Also very interesting to read about Lauren Bush Lauren.

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  10. Jen, you and your boys should be so proud of yourselves. What a great thing to involve the children in - great lesson! As always, fantastic job :)

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  11. This is awesome! Thanks for the inspiration, totally gonna tell my kiddos about this and get them excited to do it!

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  12. My kids have been asking to have a lemonade stand all summer. What a great idea! I'm in!

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  13. Beautiful idea ~ such wonderful kids! <3

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  14. It's a great initiative, and it's great to see you and your family so involved!

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  15. Your disclaimer at the end of your post caught my eye and totally cracked me up!!

    Always love when companies do things like this--and Target is good at them!--and even better when it benefits a charity doubly! (Your donation, as well as people who buy from the line as a result of your post)

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  16. Love the new Target initiative and love even more that you were able to get your boys involved!

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  17. That's awesome! I work for Target and love their community involvement!

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  18. I love it! Hats off to your boys for their hard work. I am loving that wire basket. I may have to get that for my son's bedroom "makeover". THanks for the inspiration!

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  19. I'm a huge Target fan and have enjoyed looking at the new FEED line. However after further inspecting a drinking tumbler in the kitchen section, under the FEED line, I realized that it was made in China. This disappoints me greatly. As much good as this line may do, it saddens me that these products couldn't be made in America. Unfortunately, I won't be buying from this line.

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  20. Well you have succeeded in one-upping all other lemonade stands across the nation!

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  21. That is so exciting! Target couldn't have picked a better blogger to join the Inner Circle!

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