Source: Shimelle Laine/Flickr

This year I really wanted to give back to our community during the holiday season. I especially wanted my baby girl to be a part of it and understand there are kids and families in need and realize we can help, even if just a bit. I want her to see that she is a very lucky girl and that we should not only be grateful, but also help others when we can.

Luckily, as I was beginning to search for the best way our family could help other families in Central Florida, I was provided two wonderful opportunities to give back through my work on this site. I’ll share one of those opportunities here and the other in a separate post.

Through my partnership with Walmart and the Walmart Moms group, I was offered the chance to shop at Walmart for items to donate to a charity or organization of my choosing. There are so many places that help local families that in turn need help to make it happen; it was really hard to choose just one. In the end, though, we chose to help Harbor House with their Presents of Hope program.

Harbor House is a local organization that helps domestic violence victims and also provides shelter, among other services. I personally have never been affected by domestic violence nor do I have any close friends or family affected by such a horrendous act, but I know this is a serious problem. When I reached out to Harbor House and received information on the current ages of children living in the shelter and overall wish lists and needs for residents, I knew it would be a good cause to support.

© modernmami.com

Equipped with their list and the knowledge that most people donate for younger kids so there was a special need for older kids’ items, my baby girl and I went shopping at Walmart to pick out fun gifts for Harbor House residents. She had fun choosing items she thought other kids would like, though she was a tad nervous about choosing for older kids, saying, “I’m not sure what teenagers like, mommy.” Little does she know that a lot of parents struggle with that issue! Here’s what we were able to get (though I wish we could have gotten so much more!):

• Made by Me Weaving Loom craft kit
• Paint Your Own Dinosaurs Kit
• Board/card games like Connect 4, Yahtzee, and Uno
• Mini Lalaloopsy doll
• Make-up sets
• Chain wallet
• Girl’s wallets and One Direction small purse
• Boxed fashion jewelry and rubber bracelets
• Assortment of gloves and hat for cooler days

I combined these purchased gifts with a couple of extra items I had at home that we had previously set aside for donating and hadn’t yet done so. I hope the kids and parents living at Harbor House enjoy the items we picked out and have a great Christmas. I encourage you to find out what organizations need some extra holiday cheer this holiday season and consider purchasing a few extra items on your next trip to Walmart to donate.

Disclosure: modernmami.com and its owner, Melanie Edwards, is a member of the Walmart Moms program, resulting in compensation for this post.