Donation Sorting Social--Feel Free to Bring Wine!

After our horseback riding adventures, and our very expensive cab ride, we returned to the hostel for a donation sorting party. It was our first social with the entire group of 19 present.The agenda given to us before hand had said, "Feel free to bring wine!" This is one of the reasons I liked doing my first mission with a group of SWA employees. We are known for making travel fun, and it's not just for our passengers!

The Spokane girls brought over 30 pairs of shoes and 6 months worth of hotel soaps and shampoos we collected, as well as crafts and candies for the children. Other members of the group brought school supplies, wash cloths, bibles, additional soap and shampoos, and in total, we had over 100 pairs of shoes for gifting. We also ordered more than 300 heavy wool blankets, produced in Cusco, to donate. There was a laptop computer to be donated to the school in Chacabamba.

Organizing the many donations

To get 30 pairs of shoes in carryon luggage was quite an adventure. I was impressed with our little groups fete. But, when we were at the gathering, with everyone's contributions coming together, it was so heartwarming. I was proud of our little group. Nineteen is not a lot, but we had collected enough donations to make an impact on 300 families! It just goes to show that a few people can band together to make a much wider footprint. It doesn't just multiply! It grows exponentially!

Abbi and Mackenzie were always eager to help!

The majoritiy of our group and our donations.

If I get a chance to do this again, next time I want to bring more for the kids. Honestly, I wonder how important the soap and shampoo is to them. We got to interact with them so much, but I didn't get close enough to anyone to learn about their hygiene habits. I do know that we didn't have access to hot water in the village and the home that we toured showed no sign of a shower or bathing area. And, I can get 3-5 uses out of a bottle of hotel shampoo, so maybe they got to wash each family member's hair once? I wish I knew if that was a pampering that they appreciated.

But, I got to see the kids really enjoy all of the crafts we brought. They loved the shoes, too! (More on that later.) If I get to go back, I would love to bring more clothing items for kids and maybe buy them some books? Or a special toy? I'm not sure exactly what I would want to do, but I do know I was left with the desire to do so much more, especially for the kids.