Eve-
I think the OP [Original Poster] might have stated that as sort of a disclaimer (like you sometimes see on tv shows, etc.) referring to the fact that they are directly seeking out & interacting with the homeless element in the middle of the night, which can be EXTREMELY unsafe/dangerous. (!)

OP-
I have to admit, I had a very strong reaction after reading your story. As I looked around my own home I was overcome by the sudden painful shame & selfishness of it all. Not just because of the cluttered state of my home, but now from the realization that I'm holding onto so many of these things that are rarely (if ever) used when there are so many people & families in our community who go without and have so very little.
Anyway, while I can't say I agree with your delivery methods I can certainly understand where your heart is coming from & I commend you for deciding to make a difference in the lives of those in need!
Thank you so much for sharing your inspiration with us. I'll definitely be doubling my donation efforts now!
Cheers!


~Tina

What a wonderful story.... It's so awesome that you were able to look at what was becoming a negative for you and turn it into a positive for others.
I spent the weekend decluttering my whole (not that big, but feels it right now) house.
I'm a clutterer, my adult daughter however, is an hoarder.
Without the money for a psychologist or organization expert who works with hoarders, I resorted to asking my sister, who I'm very close to and my daughter's namesake, to help- specifically with my daughter's room, since my daughter and I CANNOT work together- I just keep getting frustrated and it ends in war, further damaging her self-esteem.
I so, so wish I could donate some of the things that I've decided I, and that my daughter has decided to purge, but the urgency of this purge is due to bedbugs.
We are paying a fortune (with me currently unemployed) to have the exterminator come and not only do I need the bedbugs OUT OF HERE, but I don't think the homeless deserve even the possibility of infestation.
If I had the time or the energy to treat the discarded stuff, I'd love to but for now, time is of the essence and I must get the two bagsters that we have filled out ASAP, before my daughter starts a second sort on them.

Your story is awesome and so inspiring. Going forward, we will be doing a semi annual purge and provided no bed bugs, I'll also be singing your sister's song instead of "to the dump, to the dump, to the dump, dump, dump!"

Thanks for sharing such a cool story!!

just curious why it says do not try this at home under the title?

Oh, wow, that's a great way to combat hoarding/cluttering! I'm glad you are able to help others while also helping yourself.

wow im glad you and your sister found a positive use for part of your clutter it was a great idea you came up with.and you didnt even second guess yourself parting with these objects and why because they are going to great use.. kudos to you ladies :) and plus it makes you feel great inside about what you are doing.I hope you keep downsizing and keep coming up with more ideas how to donate some of your items to good use. good luck to you guys

I consider myself a "functional" hoarder. Raising 4 kids on a tight budget, I got into the habit of just tucking things away instead of getting rid of them "just in case" I ever need them again. The garage was so crammed full that I hadn't been able to actually park a car inside it in years. The rafters in the house were starting to bow under the weight of everything up in the attic, and every closet in the house was stuffed to the hilt! My sister was in the same situation. Over the years we had accumulated enough things between us to easily open our own thrift store. But I'm getting ahead of the story....

Last winter my washing machine died, so I gathered the laundry and trekked into the laundromat in town. It was getting late, and when the attendant arrived to close everything up for the night, he let me stay and finish my last load as he went about his duties. I heard him talking to someone as he stepped out of the restroom, following a grandfather aged homeless man (who had apparently been asleep in there) up to the front and ousting him from the building. A while later as I finished up and started loading my laundry into my car, I noticed that the homeless man had taken refuge just around the corner in a small space where he was semi protected from the elements. As I placed the last basket in my back seat, I looked down at the neatly folded blanket in it, still warm from the dryer, and I couldn't help but walk over to where he was huddled. His eyes were closed as if he were asleep, but as I got closer I caught a quick glimpse of him peeking out of one eye, and I could see him shaking from the cold. (I remember he only had one shoe.) Without a word, I unfolded the heavy blanket, laid it over him, and walked back to my car. As I drove away I saw him sit up a bit, pulling the blanket in close around him as he watched me go.
Now, this scenario wasn't anything new to me. I was raised in downtown Los Angeles where the homeless population is staggering. But something about this poor old man simply struck me, and hard. I believe it was his resemblance to my father, who had passed away the year before. I am by absolutely NO MEANS a wealthy person, but as I returned to my warm home; bursting at the seams with things that I had little or no use for anymore, it hit me like a brick. I went to the linen closet. There were at least a half dozen old blankets. I grabbed them all & tossed them on the couch. In every closet and cabinet I opened I found more & more things to bring out, until the couch was buried under them and things spilled off onto the floor...
At almost midnight my sister called me as usual. (We both worked the night shift for years, and were used to being up pretty late.) I started telling her what I was doing and why. She stopped me half way through. She said I sounded like I was having a nervous breakdown and that she was on her way over. She walked in an hour or so later with 2 large coffees in hand. She shook her head at the sight of me sitting on the floor surrounded by the piles of things I was sorting through, then began unloading all the things she had brought over! I said, "What's all this? First you say I'm having a nervous breakdown, and now you're joining me in my insanity?" She just smiled & said "Yah. And? I said you're F*ing Crazy, But I never said I didn't get it!" LMAO!

We had boxes filled with our families old socks, shoes, clothes, gloves, beanies, scarves and coats... She even brought over a full case of peanut butter sandwich crackers & other things she had bought for her kids lunches that they wouldn't eat. (Because high school kids are just to cool for bagged lunches these days! LOL) We gathered every old gym bag and school backpack we could find and began making "care packages" out of them.
When we filled all the bags we had, we tossed about a dozen of them into my truck and headed out on our quest; searching for the homeless to share our gifts with... My sister cracking jokes and singing along the way. "BUM HUNTING WE WILL GO, BUM HUNTING WE WILL GO, HI-HO-THE-DARIO, BUM HUNTING WE WILL GO!"
First stop; the old guy at the laundromat. He was still there, and was sleeping soundly, for real this time. I grabbed the bag I had cram-packed especially for him including a pair of shoes and an old pillow. When I set it beside him I almost jumped out of my skin when I felt his hand touch mine. Without getting up he said "Thank You, for this" tugging at the blanket. I picked up the pillow and handed it to him. "You're Welcome" was all I could manage to say seeing his eyes start to well up a bit. I swallowed hard and motioned to the bag. "And if you're hungry, There's a little something in here for you too." I put my hand on top of his for a moment before walking back to the truck, resisting the urge to hug him. And off we went - A couple nights a week for the next few months... It was a life changing experience.