Be The Light

Today I don’t have any beautiful pictures of homes or clothing to share but instead a beautiful idea.

And this idea comes from Stacie Schulz, one of K. Renee’s fearless leaders.  

You have heard us say before that some of our most meaningful and memorable moments at K. Renee are when we gift our annual holiday home transformation to families or non-profits who have need of the light that style can bring to their homes.   

Or when we support a great local cause.  And all of the other efforts that align with our core values of giving back to the community through our Share The Love project.  

^{K.Renee supporting Childserve at the Bubble Ball last Saturday night.}

Stacie, understanding how meaningful it is to support our community and its needs, has decided that she needed more of this kind of activity in her life outside of K. Renee.   So she recently sought out a place where she could volunteer her time and skills during her personal time away from the store.

Stacie’s days off (like all of us) are filled with appointments, household chores and grocery store runs.   But since she chose a personal word for 2019  of “Purpose,” she felt she was called to do more.   

Stacie began to look into local shelters and pantries and discovered that Bidwell Riverside stood out as a place where she could serve.   Now, on most Tuesdays (her day off) Stacie might be greeting and assisting guests who come to the pantry in need of food or clothing.

After spending some time volunteering, Stacie’s heart began to get heavy as she felt like she could and should do more for the people that Bidwell Pantry serves.   She learned that this single non-profit helps 4500 or more people a month and is the largest pantry currently in Iowa.  And their need is great...not just for volunteers but for items -all kinds of items- in their pantry.

Stacie’s mind began brewing about how she could involve not only her team members at K. Renee but all of our friends and clients that we have had the pleasure of working with over the years.

So that brings me to the beautiful idea that Stacie brought to the table at one of our last leadership meetings.  

She named her idea the “Be the Light” campaign and is asking all of us to help her fill our K. Renee delivery truck to the “brim” with the most needed items for Bidwell Riverside from today through May 6th.

So let me share some of Stacie’s ideas for the most needed items and how we might all help.  The pantry always has need of personal hygiene items like laundry soap, toilet paper, shampoo, and soap.  

Many of the families that Bidwell Riverside aids receive what are called SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) benefits which allows them to purchase only food items with those funds.   Hygiene items cannot be obtained with SNAP dollars which means these basic needs items are considered a luxury item.   




The same thing holds true for clothing, household items such as pots and pans, small electrical appliances, and as you can imagine, decorative items that make a house more of a home.

Now guys, this is where we can all make a big difference.   How many of you have been watching Marie Kondo on Netflix or reading her book “ The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up: The Japanese Art of Decluttering and Organizing?"

If you haven’t heard of her, she is an organizing consultant, who has set off a decluttering craze across the globe!   She might just provide you the inspiration that you need to find a few items to donate this month!  It certainly has for me, and as a result, I have been purging clothing and household items that haven’t been used in years or that I am holding on to in case one of my kids "wants" them someday.   (And you know they won’t.)  

Over the weekend, I have already filled several bins full of small household and decor items that are going straight to the K. Renee Truck.    And we are hoping that you might consider doing the same thing and joining Stacie’s effort to “Be The Light.”    

From today through May 6, we will be accepting your donations (no furniture, please) and we will load them in our K. Renee delivery truck in hopes of filling it to the brim.   

And...If you are so kind as to help Stacie reach her goal, K. Renee will give you 10% off of your purchase.   


Here is a link that will take you directly to Bidwell Riverside’s most needed items and guidelines for what they can and cannot accept for household items and clothing.

https://www.bidwellriverside.org/clothing-pantry-donations

Julie