Journal

In honor of our first year I want to share with you a bit more about the process of getting In Kind going, and how it all started. In July last year we had all the official paperwork completed to create In Kind, and get it registered as a 501(c)3 nonprofit. Each step took a lot of patience, and thought. At the time we weren’t even sure what our gift boxes would look like, or what exactly would go in them. I just knew I wanted to give a gift to moms to help them during their fourth trimester.

My goal for gift boxes was for moms to feel loved and cared for. I wanted to give a gift that was high quality, substantial and lasting. We’ve all seen free gifts given with samples and coupons- I was looking for the opposite of that. Those gifts are very wasteful, and they don’t make a true impact on the family receiving them. I wanted our gift boxes to be filled with items that moms could use for the first months after baby’s arrival, if not longer. I also wanted to be proud of what I was giving- to be confident in saying that I would purchase and use those items myself.

I am so proud and thankful to say that we have achieved our goal. We are so grateful to Earth Mama Organics, Kindred Bravely, and Workman Publishing for their willingness to partner with us and support our mission to help mamas. They said Yes to us, when we had heard so many No’s. It’s tough being so new and small, and asking people for help. All I can say is perseverance is key. Just because someone says no to you, doesn’t mean you’re not worthy. It just means they’re not for you.

While we were trying to find products for our boxes, I was also trying to figure out how big the gift box itself would be. Not only that, but in order to have boxes made, we also needed a logo to put on the box. So many little things all had to come together- what felt like all at once. I am so thankful I had the support of the Board to bounce ideas off of. Being open to discussion and feedback about ideas can seem like a scary idea, but it has been an important part of how it all came together.

In July we were able to go back to Ronald MacDonald House and do a gift box donation. They had been closed due to COVID, and we’re so thankful they’ve been re-opened and are now accepting donation deliveries. They have two locations in Portland, and our boxes get divided between the two, so mamas at both places can receive gift boxes as needed. We’re so happy to be able to give mamas the gift of essentials, especially in situations when they’ve ended up at RMH unexpectedly- not having their delivery bag/diaper bag on hand.

This month we were very excited to receive a grant check in the mail from the City of Sherwood. We had applied for a grant through the Community Enhancement Program, which would help us to further support the Sherwood Family Resource (SHARE) Center over the coming year. We can’t wait to make a delivery to their new space in the Fall.
We also had some really fun giveaways including one with Kristina Kuzmic. She is someone I have been following for a long time. Her videos on motherhood always make me laugh, cry and everything in between. Kristina recently released a book, and was supposed to be on tour right now but COVID had other plans. She has since been hosting weekly giveaways on Instagram. We’re so thankful Kristina chose our gift box as one of the prizes to give away. That kind of exposure for us was amazing!! I’m always grateful to people who show us support in this way by sharing what we do. With more exposure, comes more support for In Kind, and means we can help more mamas!

Thank you for being here. We are so grateful for your support. Your donations, purchases, social media support (follows, likes, shares) matter. They all help us further our mission to help mamas. Even the smallest things mean so much! I couldn’t do what I do without you. I was telling Cheryl recently that I finally feel like I’ve found what I’m meant to do. In Kind is my fourth baby. Helping people is my passion. I can’t wait to see where this all goes. I’d like to be able to help every mama who needs it. Cross your fingers that one day we can!

~Maria

Reflecting back over the month, I spent a lot of time listening, learning and discovering.  It is very important in our mission to help moms, that we make sure we strive to help ALL mamas. This month we have been focused on trying to give some extra love to organizations supporting Black mamas in particular. We have always been, and will continue to remain an organization that leads with love and kindness.  We are here to support you on your journey through motherhood. We see you, we hear you. You matter to us. You are not alone.

In June as businesses and organizations slowly began to reopen we were able to do donation deliveries to our local partners! Hooray!! The Virginia Garcia Memorial Health Center’s Women’s Clinic in Hillsboro, the Mother and Child Education Center, and the Domestic Violence Resource Center were all open to receive deliveries. It felt great to reconnect in person and help mamas in our community in a bigger way than we have been able to during quarantine. During June we sent out care packages to Chicago Birthworks Collective, One Love Doula Services, and Our Mother’s Light pregnancy care centers. Care packages included gift boxes, swaddle blankets, and some fun extras donated to us by Earth Mama Organics, and Happy Little Camper Baby. 

We have also been busy with giveaways on social media. We do regular gift box giveaways on Instagram, and sometimes our favorite mama/lifestyle influencers give them away too. One that was very special to us was with Lynzy from @lynzyandco. She has a “Community Giving” program, where she helps a pregnant mama in need by sharing an amazon wishlist of the mama, and helps the recipient fulfill her wish list of needed items. This month she went beyond that and gave her one of our gift boxes, as well as a maternity photo shoot, and doula services. We hope to be part of this amazing program again once Lynzy’s baby arrives.

Stay tuned for LOTS of fun giveaways in July. We will be doing plenty of celebrating because July is our birthday month!! Follow us on Instagram so you don’t miss out. 

We hope you love the latest additions to our box. Boring goats donated the most adorable “non-scents” soaps for us. Get yours in your box while supplies last! We also had beautiful cards donated to us by Twigs Paper. If you are gifting your box to someone, we will happily include your message on a card and send it along with your gift. Type your message in the note section at checkout, or send us an email with the recipient’s name and address, so we know whose box you’re adding it to. Lastly, to help protect mama and baby from the summer sun, we added mineral sunscreen to the box. Earth Mama’s mineral sunscreen lotion provides great protection for sensitive skin.

Your support in helping us grow means the world to us! Thank you so much for being here. 

~Maria

May was a month of collaborations and partnerships in celebration of moms. Our first partnership of the month was with a group of amazing female artisans/makers from Portland. We gave away an amazing prize package in perfect timing for Mother’s Day. After that we participated in giveaways with some wonderful mama influencers on Instagram (@honestlymommy, @kimperry, and @mrsbrittanypride). We were also lucky enough to partner with some local businesses (The Hungry Hero, and Sip City Coffee) and give their customers Mother’s Day gift sets from Que Bella Beauty. The final collaboration in May was with the wonderful Bethany Caruso from Elle and Lu Flowers. Bethany is a local mama, who makes the most beautiful floral arrangements. Please check her out if you’re looking for a bouquet for a special event.

In May we were fortunate to receive a donation of beautiful personalized half bars of “non-scents” soaps from Boring Goats. The soap will be included in both donated and purchased boxes. Twigs Paper sent us gorgeous cards for us to include in boxes. When customers wish to include a personalized message in their gift box, we include a complimentary card a special touch. Twigs cards are made in the United States on recycled materials and printed with nontoxic, soy based inks. We were also very excited to be featured on two separate local news programs. First, Molly Reihl interviewed Maria for KPTV’s More Good Day Oregon, and then Jenny Hansson featured In Kind in her Positive Vibes segment on KOIN. We are so grateful to both ladies for taking the time to meet with Maria, and learn more about In Kind, and who we help. To watch the interviews please go to our media page.

As COVID 19 has kept many of our partner organizations very limited in terms of their services and closed to our deliveries, we still managed to ship items to organizations in need. We participated in the Virtual Baby Shower that Kim Perry hosted for mamas in need in Massachusetts, Stork & Cradle in New York, and more giveaways through local mom groups on Facebook. We are always looking for mamas to help. If you have a suggestion for an organization you feel could benefit from our boxes please email us and let us know!

This month we were able to donate nearly 30 boxes to families! That’s almost double what we were able to give away last month, and brings our grand total of donated boxes to over 150!! Two organizations who received a donation of boxes were Family Place Relief, and The Sherwood Family Resource Center. Thank you to everyone who has supported us by making box purchases. We are so grateful for your support. And to everyone else who is cheering us on in other ways, we are thankful for you too. Every “small” act means a lot. 

We took part in a fundraising social media event called Earth Day Oregon in April. It aligned well with our goal to use products in our boxes that are safe for baby and mama to use on their skin, but also safe for the environment. That is why we purchase organic, natural, nontoxic, reusable products whenever we can. We also try and source them locally. We’re so lucky to have Earth Mama Organics so close! 

We are very thankful to the five local businesses who held fundraisers for us, and donated to In Kind during the event. Our Earth Day Oregon business partners were:

*Midnight Cookies Delivery

*Blaze Fitness

*BBTeaJars

*Essential Fit Co

*Fat Milos

We are very lucky to have such kind and generous local businesses willing to offer support in such a tricky time for the world.

Speaking of generosity, we had 2 new items added to our gift boxes- gemstone earrings made by a mama from Canada (find her on Facebook or Etsy @HVNLYBOUTIQUE, and white organic cotton onesies from Lamaze Organics. These items bring the value of the box well over its purchase price. Get yours now while supplies last!

Because of COVID-19 we have been doing regular gift box giveaways on our Instagram and Facebook pages. Being at home with the kids all day, every day is a lot, and we try our best  to be a source of kindness and support. Please go to our page and follow along! You can find us @inkindboxes.

In February we hosted our very first fundraiser! We are so thankful to everyone who participated, and helped us “Celebrate Love”. Some very lucky families won great prizes donated by local businesses. On top of that, we were the lucky recipient of Little Bird Boutique’s Shop for a Cause event. A portion of proceeds from sales during the event was donated to us! We are very grateful for everyone’s support during both of these events.

We began two new partnerships this month. The first is the Domestic Violence Resource Center- new moms, who are clients staying in their shelter, will be able to receive an In Kind box. The second is the PDX Diaper Bank. The diaper bank hosts monthly classes for low income families to teach them how to cloth diaper on a budget. Families who attend their class, will receive one of our gift boxes.

The In Kind gift box has had another addition. We have added Earth Mama Tea! Each gift box will contain a full size box of Periodic Tea. “This tea gives back on all the P days: period, postpartum and even perimenopause. It’s a comforting cinnamon-delicious blend of organic herbs traditionally used for postpartum support and to help ease symptoms of PMS and premenstrual cramping. Sip it, and then? Go forth and rest.”
Our scrunchie also got an updated look for spring.

We had a fun time meeting and speaking with Sherwood families at the Early Learning Fair hosted by the Sherwood Family Resource Center. The Pamplin School of Business graciously included us in the nonprofit sections of their February newsletter. We are looking forward to attending their Women in Business event in March.

In the coming weeks, we will be participating in the Earth Day Oregon fundraising event. Earth Day Oregon is an initiative to increase businesses’ and individuals’ support for nonprofit organizations who are working to create a better world. We look forward to working with fellow nonprofits, and businesses to amplify the message of Earth Day.

In Kind had quite the start to 2020.  We have been building relationships with other local organizations who are already working hard to support families in need. We began partnerships with the wonderful women of the Mother and Child Education Center, Baby Blues Connection, and the Raphael House of Portland. We also had our second deliveries to the Sherwood Family Resource Center, and the Virginia Garcia’s Women’s Clinic. In an effort to help us further support the Sherwood SHARE Center, we applied for a grant through the Community Enhancement Program. Wish us luck!

Our gift boxes gained a new item this month. We started adding wipes to our boxes, which were generously donated to us by Happy Little Camper. Their wipes are made with 100% natural cotton and organic aloe. We also added two new styles of swaddle blanket to our shop. In addition to the black hearts, we now have alphabet, and black triangles. Our swaddle blankets are made of 100% organic cotton muslin. 

January has also been a month of preparation for our fundraiser. On February 1 we are having our first fundraising event. Several local businesses donated prizes to us, which we will be using as giveaways during the event. We are so grateful to have such wonderful support from the community. We hope you’ll go to our Facebook page and join in on the fun!

This month has been filled with lots of firsts for us!

We attended our first event where we got to share information about who we are and how we want to help our community.  We are thankful to the Little Bird Boutique in Newberg for hosting us at their First Friday event.

Little Bird Boutique and Symposium in Sherwood have both partnered with us to provide us with pickup locations for In Kind’s online orders. If you are local, and would prefer not to pay shipping when you order from our shop, please feel free to select local pickup. We are so grateful to both businesses for their support!

December is the season of giving, and we felt it fitting to host a giveaway on our Facebook and Instagram pages. Both winners have been announced. Check back in the New Year for another giveaway.

In Sherwood, there is a nonprofit called Sherwood 4 Kids Sake. They do amazing work to rally the community together to make the holiday season brighter for children in need in our area. In Kind was able to support them this year by providing two boxes to families.

Lastly, we were able to partner with SW Family Physicians in Tigard. We donated a box to them to use as a fun prize for the ladies who receive prenatal care there.

We are very grateful for the kind words, messages, social media support, donations and sales. We could not do this without your support. In Kind Boxes appreciates you!