“Give More”

Here are a few ways to get involved in our mission to “Give More”

Fresh Out of the Oven

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Here at New Leaf we’re always on the look out not only for ways you can “Live for Less,” but also how you can “Give More.” Today a dear friend of New Leaf’s, Reba Williams, has presented a way to do just that!

If you have been in our upstairs  store recently, you may have heard that Chelsie is going to Uganda this October on a mission trip with Four Corners Ministries, which is based in Opelika. (You can read more about Chelsie’s trip here). Recently, two sisters sold homemade blueberry jam in our upstairs store to help Chelsie raise money for the trip. It was amazing to watch young children take an initiative and “Give More,” without being asked by us! The girls were thrilled to sell all of the jam and plan on making some more and bringing it to the store next week!

Reba was also inspired to give towards Chelsie’s trip and surprised us as she showed up at the store this afternoon with fresh homemade bread! We could not believe how good it smelled because it was literally fresh out of the oven! Now we aren’t just saying this, but Reba makes wonderful bread– we have personally eaten it many times and we love it. She has also baked bread for restaurants and other locals in Auburn. This is what Reba gives says about her bread:

“My whole wheat bread is made from freshly ground wheat berries that have all the vitamins and minerals that God placed in the wheat for our nutrition. I do not use any preservatives so the bread must be eaten or refrigerated/frozen within 5-7 days of baking. I use free-range eggs, extra virgin olive oil, sea salt, honey, yeast, gluten, lecithin, hard red and white spring wheat,  and sunflower, millet and flax-seed.”

Reba has decided to sell whole wheat and cinnamon raisin loaves for a few Saturdays for $6 a loaf at New Leaf to help Chelsie raise money for her trip to Uganda. So if you love fresh bread, stop by on a Saturday and grab a loaf (cash or check only) and enjoy something local as well as giving to something across the world!

What a great opportunity Reba has shared with us to “Live for Less so you can Give More to the things in life that really matter,” as well as a chance  to join in a story that is bigger than ourselves.

“In order to make the story happen, we had to give it away, we had to ask for help, and when you ask for help, you are asking other people into the story with you, so it’s no longer yours, it belongs to the community that believed in it with you.”
-Donald Miller

Give More with TOMS

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Summer has started early around here– we’ve been super busy! We are getting new inventory everyday and it’s flying out of the doors. We usually don’t see this “summer” shopping season until June, but we can’t complain. It keeps things exciting and always changing; I think it’s just as exciting for our customers as it is us.

It also feels like summer because Barbara has been on vacation. Last week Kevin and I rocked out by ourselves and we are doing it again this week. Boy do I miss summer vacation from school! My mom was totally right that I’d miss it one day, especially being from Florida. It’s been wild working in both stores– I am getting a workout running up and down the stairs constantly these days. The store has been packed out and since we are short handed, it means

“It’s time to get some energy,” as one of my nieces says and run around.

I would rather be busy than slow, although it does take away from my nerdy research of inventory and time to goof off. But you gotta take one for the team sometimes, right? Ha.

If you haven’t figured it out already, I am a pretty random kid. I put some of the weirdest connections together, but to me it makes sense. So here’s a true example of that–

With all of this running around, I can’t possibly wear high heels (but are you kidding me? I am almost 6 feet tall anyways and I’d break my neck in them!) or dress shoes at the store to keep up. What makes this great is that Kevin lets me wear my favorite choice of shoes while working that are so comfy and look legit, which I love to rock– TOMS.

I know this seems random, but I’ve been thinking about our saying,

“Live for Less so you can Give More to the things in life that really matter.”

At New Leaf we love to share other opportunities  in our community for everyone to save and give. So I couldn’t help but talk about TOMS with you today. Now I’ve been rockin’ TOMS since 2008 when I was still in college and it was because I fell in love with their purpose and mission. If you didn’t know, TOMS functions around the saying:

“One for One.”

You can find it printed in the soles of the shoes, which is the soul of the company. In 2006, TOMS founder Blake started the company with the mindset that every time a pair of  shoes was purchased, one would be given to a child in need. He believed if other companies and orginzations would get on board, it could change the world.

I’ve heard some people say that TOMS are expensive, but these are also the same people who buy brand new Nikes and designer shoes. What I have to say to that is, when you buy a pair of TOMS, you are actually paying for two pairs of shoes… you are giving more to the things in life that really matter– to children in this country and around the world who need shoes! Did you know that some kids have certain diseases that are caused from being barefoot? It breaks my heart when I think about how many shoes most of us have…

If you’re interested in “giving more” by purchasing a pair of TOMS, you can pick up a pair locally at Kinnucan’s. Or you can check out the TOMS website at and order a pair online. You’ll also find that anything you buy from their site will cause something to be given to someone in need. Recently TOMS started selling sunglasses, which allows someone to have eye surgery! WOW, that makes me so stoked.

Until next time,

Chels

 

“Give More” to Foster Children

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New Leaf carries a saying, which we see more as a lifestyle:

“Live for Less so you can Give More to the things in life that REALLY MATTER!”

At the store, we believe in helping our customers, whether consigning or purchasing, to live for less so they can give more.. to their family, community, others– the things that really matter.

Since March, we’ve been offering a way for our customers to “Give More” this Spring. This year, New Leaf is an official drop off location for Big House Foundation’s Statewide Swimsuit and Towel Drive. We’ve collected some and as the drive comes to an end, we don’t want anyone to miss out who would like to give to such a great cause. You can purchase a new swimsuit or towel for a boy or girl and drop it off at the store until April 30th. All items will be given to Alabama foster children!