With Anna, another first-time OneBrick volunteer!
Inga and I testing the toys for distribution. Seriously- that was our job. TOO COOL!Last evening, I spent a few hours with some wonderful women (and one man) in Baby Buggy's warehouse sorting toys and clothing to be donated to needy families throughout the five boroughs. I was joined by Miss Manhattan, Inga, and we had a great time!
Upon initial arrival, I began sorting children's clothing from a heaping pile on a table. Jasmin Rosario, Baby Buggy's Volunteer Program Manager asked us to thoroughly examine each individual article of clothing for any defects, even the small and seemingly unnoticeable, and to immediately separate those items into the "To Repair" bins. I was very impressed by the quality of the donated items. Corporate sponsors such as Target, Children's Place, Babies'R'Us and many more donate brand new, never used clothing, sometimes in perfect condition, other times needing a little TLC. I was also impressed by Jasmin's attitude towards the sorting process. "Quality over quantity," she told us, meaning, do a good job and make sure that nothing is donated that has any defects- even though this inevitably slows down the process.
Once Inga arrived, she and I, along with Anna (another new volunteer) were assigned to the toy department (YES!). Our task? To play with the gently-used toys to make sure they work. Seriously. SO MUCH FUN! After making sure everything was in working order, we cleaned it and moved on to the next toy. The work itself was pretty rewarding, but it was also a great opportunity to meet new people. Our toy-cleaning partner, Anna, was a photographer from Italy.
A highlight of the evening was watching the video HBO put together for Baby Buggy explaining the work they do, and how they impact the community. This organization is truly worthwhile, and I would absolutely recommend learning more at their website, donating if you can, and volunteering an evening to help out in the warehouse! A special thanks to OneBrick for organizing the event!
