When you have a little bit of spare time on your hands, do you ever count your blessings and realize just how fortunate you are to have a marvelous family, a sturdy roof over your head and plenty of food on the table? These happy thoughts may inspire you to lend a helping hand to those in need, especially children, who should be blessed with a magical, stress and drama-free childhood. How to Get Involved: Learn to Store Toys and Clothes the Right Way If you wish to reduce clutter, consider sending some of your clothes, furniture, bedding, toys and baby supplies to a local storage unit. Ideally, you should opt for a climate-controlled environment that could prevent damages caused by excessive humidity and extreme temperature variations. Before sending clothes and toys to your local self storage facility, make sure they are clean and dry. Also, part ways with items that are discolored, broken, stained or deteriorated in any other way; after all, you should donate only the ones that you’ve managed to keep in mint condition. Here are a few basic steps that you should take when it comes to storing old toys: Remove batteries Launder and disinfect the toys that you wish to leave in storage Wipe down wood, metal or plastic parts Create different categories and make sure similar items stay together Put small parts and accessories in zipper storage bags; then place the bags in plastic bins with lids and don’t forget to label all containers for an easier identification When storing baby clothes, you should follow a similar path. Start by cleaning everything. Machine wash and dry every single piece of clothing; then fold them very carefully and put them in cotton shopper bags or in plastic bins. Whatever you do, don’t store clothes in dry cleaning bags; plastic can trap moisture, drying out your fabrics and impacting the colors and texture of your apparel. Why give? Here’s the simplest answer that we can come up with: poverty is a problem that can be solved with your help. You can be a part of the solution, by getting involved and donating the toys, furniture, apparel and accessories that your kids are no longer using. Giving plays an extremely important part in fighting poverty, so choose to be generous. Even the smallest gestures of kindness have a strong echo and can change lives for the best, and put a smile on the faces of less fortunate children who live in shelters and are in desperate need of basic items, including equipment, toys and clothing. Together we can improve the lives of underprivileged children living in Maryland. Now’s your chance to take action and donate money or items to help create a better world for kids whose childhood dreams are crushed under the weight of poverty and hardship. US Storage Centers 5117 Belair Road Baltimore, MD 21206 (410) 929-2939
