I saw this idea on Facebook and thought I’d add a few of my ideas and pass the thought along. Somebody came up with the idea of making “Blessing Bags” for the purpose of giving them to people who are homeless/struggling. Each Blessing Bag consists of a 1- or 2-gallon-size zip plastic bag filled with practical items. 

 

Here’s a list of things you can slip into the bag. These are just suggestions—you might come up with better ideas. If you do, please let me know! (By the way, making Blessing Bags could be a nice group project, and buying supplies in bulk is a good way to defray the cost of putting them together.)

 

• Hand/toe-warmers—You can get a bag of 40 2-packs at Costco for around $25; Walmart has 10-packs for $5. If you’re an Amazon shopper, click here to buy 50 for $20.

• Emergency foil mylar rescue blanket—It’s almost miraculous how well these thin, crinkly blankets can retain body heat. Click here to get 20 for $20 from Amazon.

• Quarters—You can pour some quarters into a minibag for the laundromat. The Scrap Exchange is a good source for minibags; you can also use snack-size zip bags or old 35mm film canisters.

• Band-aids—Not the first thing you think of, but people do occasionally suffer nicks, cuts, and scrapes. Click here to buy a box of 320 for $11 from Amazon.

• Hand sanitizer—People on the street don’t always have quick access to soap and water. It could be cost effective to buy a gallon size of sanitizer and fill up some travel-size plastic bottles, which you can get from the dollar store or Walmart. Click here to buy a gallon container of hand sanitizer for $30 and here for 60 2-ounce bottles from Amazon.

• Wet wipes—These 8 x 12-inch premoistened washcloths can be used to freshen up. Click here to get 200 packs of 50 cloths each for $25.

• Laundry sheets—You can get a bag for less that $5 at Walmart; slip a couple of these in the bag for use as a laundry soap substitute at the laundromat. Click here to buy a box of 150 (300 loads‘ worth) for $10.

• Travel- or full-size personal-care items—Toothbrush (with cover) and toothpaste, soap, deodorant, shampoo, lip balm, lotion, feminine hygiene products, etc. Take notes for when you’re shopping around for the best price.

• Socks—You can never go wrong with socks—they’re often on the top of the wishlist of people who live out in the streets.

• Snacks—Tuna or chicken salad and cracker or peanut butter cracker packs, raisins, fruit cups/applesauce cups (don’t forget plastic spoons), gum. Try not to include snacks that are very chewy or hard—people down on their luck can’t afford dental care and their teeth are often in bad shape.

• Click here for some care-package ideas from Dollar Tree.

 

When shopping for food items for your blessing bags, please make sure that whatever you buy doesn’t have a “Refrigerate after opening” label. After your Blessing Bags are all packaged and ready to go, consider adding a handwritten note to each with a positive statement like “Packed with love by the Smith family.”