NOMB Holiday Giving :: ‘Tis Better to Give Than Receive

Tis-Better-1220-Pixel-SquareIt’s that time of year when the holiday season is almost upon us. We at New Orleans Moms Blog are passionate about our ability to give back to our community. In the past, our holiday charities of choice were the St. Tammany Project and the Ronald McDonald House. This year, we have chosen Children’s Hospital New Orleans, an institution that is near to our hearts as mothers and an invaluable medical asset in our community. While Children’s Hospital is also a sponsor of the blog, we agreed as a team that this is an organization that we have all relied on personally and would be honored to serve during the holidays this year.

Why Children’s Hospital?

Children’s Hospital’s mission is to provide comprehensive pediatric healthcare which recognizes the special needs of children through excellence and continuous improvement of patient care, education, research, child advocacy and management. Children’s is a not-for-profit medical center offering the most advanced pediatric care for children from birth to 21 years and is the only full-service hospital exclusively for children in Louisiana and the Gulf South. It seems obvious, but many of their patients will spend Christmas in a hospital which is in stark contrast to what we envision for our families. As mothers, all of us at NOMB felt passionate that these patients should be the focus of our Christmas charity drive. We would love it if you would join our team in donating to the patients and families receiving care and treatment at Children’s Hospital this holiday season. Even better if you involve your children in the process and share your photos with us using #NOMBGivesBack – it makes us smile to see your little ones serving our community.

How You Can Participate in ‘Tis Better To Give ::

Donations of toys and useful items are needed and greatly appreciated for the patients of Children’s. However, for safety reasons, there are guidelines that must be followed to ensure the health, safety and privacy of the patients. Therefore, we are asking that you stick very strictly to the donations we list in this post to ensure compliance with the health and safety standards set by the hospital. Please read the below carefully to ensure that your thoughtful donation is compliant with Children’s Hospital’s procedures.

Where Is ‘Tis Better to Give ::

For your convenience, we have arranged two drop off locations in the greater New Orleans area. Please drop off your donations to either Palm Tree Playground located on the Southsshore at 3011 N. I-10 Service Road, East in Metairie, LA 70002 or at Culinary Kids located on the Northshore at 3441 East Causeway Approach Suite G (Rouse’s Shopping Center) in Mandeville, LA 70448 during normal business hours between October 27, 2014 and December 6, 2014.

We are excited that we also have a way for you to participate online. For your convenience, we have set up the option to participate monetarily. If you make this choice, please rest assured that the New Orleans Moms Blog team will shop on your behalf and 100% of your contribution will go towards this cause. See below to choose this option.





When Is ‘Tis Better to Give ::

It starts TODAY! Both locations will be accepting items through December 6, 2014 (which also happens to be the same day as our Donuts with Santa playdate at Palm Tree Playground for your convenience). The drive runs October 27 – December 6, 2014.

What Is Needed for ‘Tis Better to Give ::

The New Orleans Moms Blog team is suggesting that we focus on three basic needs of Children’s Hospital this holiday season :: art supplies for the traveling art carts (the supplies constantly need to be replenished), DVDs for the library (New Releases are of particular need) and pajamas for those children who arrive to the hospital without them. Of course, you are welcome to donate anything from the items listed below, but we love the simplicity of art, DVDs and pajamas; these are things that all of our children enjoy as well.

***All items need to be new, in original packaging and unwrapped; no used items are acceptable due to infection control guidelines***

$5-$10 Gift Options

  • Crayons, markers, colored pencils (non toxic; Crayola brand is preferred) Original Art Cart
  • Coloring books
  • Art pads/Sketch Books
  • Bubbles
  • Crayola washable kids paint
  • Play-Doh
  • Construction Paper
  • Stickers
  • Child proof scissors
  • Card Games: UNO, Playing Cards, Phase-10, Old Maid, Go Fish
  • Board Games: Checkers, Chess, Chutes and Ladders, CandyLand, Don’t Break the Ice, Memory
  • $5-$10 Gift Cards to Amazon, AMC Theaters, Babies-R-Us, Best Buy, I-Tunes, Michael’s, Target, Toys-R-Us, Walmart/Sam’s
  • Underwear (all sizes birth to 21 years)
  • Socks (all sizes birth to 21 years)
  • preemie and infant onesies
  • pacifiers (Avent soothie brand preferred)

$10-$20 Gift Options

  • DVD Donations for the Child Life Department Movie Library where patients can check out DVDs to view in their rooms (rated G, PG, or PG-13). ***New Releases are particularly helpful!***
  • Pajamas (all sizes, birth to 21 years)Child Life Art room
  • Beading Supplies
  • Board Games: Connect 4, Clue, Cranium, Guess Who, Monopoly, Trouble
  • Puzzles

$20+ Gift Options

  • Sweat suits in all sizes, including adults
  • Grocery Store and gas station gift cards for parents
  • Car seats and booster chairs for automobiles (must meet Federal Safety Regulations)
  • Hand held electronic games
  • disposable cameras
  • MP3 PLayers

As moms, of course we hope to never spend the holiday season in the hospital, particularly with our children. Very sadly, that is not always a reality for local families. Therefore, we really hope you will consider joining us in our mission to make the season a little bit brighter for those families and patients at Children’s Hospital facing challenging circumstances.

Any questions? Please email Amanda {at} neworleansmomsblog {dot} com!

LEAVE A REPLY

Please enter your comment!
Please enter your name here