The SOS (Sharing Our Stuff) Resource Center/Library

 

Today’s focus ~ The S.O.S. Resource Library – with the acronym S.O.S. standing for “Sharing Our Stuff.” Here’s a back-of-the-napkin sketch from early on in my concept development:

Those shapes that look like modern art versions of hot dog buns are actually seating areas ~ look closer ~ see the loveseats, armchairs and coffee tables centered on an area rug... Okay, now you've got it...

 

Now, it’s time for the tour! Let’s take a closer look at the space:
The Book Case

FORM: “Floor to ceiling open-shelving will be made from reclaimed barn board…” If that sounds familiar, you must have read about The Workshop! Providing balance and symmetry, the book case will mirror the general look of the open-shelving on the opposite side of the overall space. Add a classic old library ladder to the scene, serving both form and function (given my limited reach at 5’2″).

FUNCTION: I know it’s a stretch, but the book case will, stay with me here, hold books. Not just any books. Much like the donated clutter in The Workshop, the collection will be comprised of donated books, books that were intended to do more than gather dust, both in the mind of the authors and the owners. Non-fiction titles on topics ranging from self-help and relationships to hobbies, creative interests and art, to career choices and successful business practices. If you are anything like me, you’ll have plenty of books to donate while keeping a treasured few at home. The collection is already off to a good start given my own personal contribution of a couple of hundred books of my own, begging the question, “Where did I manage to keep them in the first place?”

Summarizing This Week ~ From Donating Your Stuff to Giving of Your Time & Yourself ~ It’s All Good

Well, I started out this week describing one of the cornerstones of my new mission-driven business ~ monthly donation opportunities announced the first of the month and culminating in a scheduled  weekend to drop-off the stated donation of the month. It’s a great way to organize our collective clutter and give it to a source that has a need for just such stuff. It’s along the “one man’s trash is another man’s treasure” mindset. Read my post all about it: Clutter for a Cause – Donation Opportunities Abound.

 

Since I’m not up and running (YET), I set out to share local organizations in need of your stuff that doesn’t qualify for repurposing into functional art and the like. Stuff that’s need is far more serious. Opportunities to help now because the need is out there… Read my posts about Wellspring House and Horizons for Homeless Children for more details.

 

 

Perhaps most important, I shared a fabulous find in VolunteerMatch.org, a website that could streamline the process for organizations working to do good who will benefit from an effective platform from which to share their needs and opportunities. Likewise, from the perspective of the would-be volunteer, VolunteerMatch.org puts all the choices at your fingertips, within geographic locations, areas of interest, even age group of prospective volunteers.

  

It does strike me that some of my friends and family following and supporting my pre-launch process might wonder how I got from donating stuff to volunteering of time, self and services. Here’s an entry from my special email update announcing the details of my move (and my donation needs) for my temporary office/work space:

 

Clutter for a Cause – Donation Opportunities Abound

In addition to using repurposed clutter in the trash-to-treasure manner that we are planning, regularly scheduled donation opportunities will be a cornerstone of our calendar.

Our donation opportunities will provide an organized way to contribute to those in need for those of us who live busy lives but would like to help, if only we could find the time and felt sure of where to donate our worthwhile, but no longer needed, extra stuff (clutter). By working together, (doing a little research ahead of time and planning out some basic logistics) we can get the items right to where they are needed. And, all you will have to do is drop by with your donations on the designated collection weekend. Not to get ahead of myself, but it will be the third weekend of the month, each month, once I secure a permanent location, start-up funding, build out the space, get all the legalities in place… (Okay, so I like to get ahead of myself, it’s part of my master plan!)

As we move forward, we will give where the need exists in our community. And, by “community,” I am including every interpretation of the term, starting right here on the North Shore, to the community within the borders of Masssachusetts, New England and beyond. With online connections today redefining our concept of community and with needs existing in any number of places ~ some constant, some suddenly precipitated by natural or man-made disaster ~ our donation drives could include the broader communities of our entire nation and continent, our soldiers abroad and, indeed, our fellow man (and woman and child) wherever the need might be greatest and most urgent within the world-wide community.

When it comes to old clothes, toys, games, discarded tools, appliances and the like, some of the larger organizations collecting items do certainly provide a service. Yet, I also think it is worthwhile to donate items directly where needed. In this way, we are filling a specific need and the recipient gets the donation without having to pay for it at a second-hand shop, along with the knowledge that someone cared enough to help them during hard times. I eagerly look forward to the day that my vision of a monthly donation collection is a reality. For now, I will begin to provide information on organizations that could use your in-good-condition items that you no longer need and that don’t suit our repurposing needs. Watch for posts this week for some of the organizations I am planning to research as potential recipients of our donation drives.

How Combining our Clutter Will Lead to More TIME in our Lives

(Your Clutter + My Clutter ) x Number of Folks Donating their Clutter  = Craft Materials, Art Supplies, Books, Magazines, Seating Areas, Work Areas, all in one place, my place, our place.

Just Like Magic ~ Our collective clutter will turn into the fabulous, cool, inspiring stuff it was intended to be…

And, what’s that back at your house? Space?  The floor? A dining room table? A peaceful bedroom! All of the above! Your home will be one GIANT step closer to the space it was intended to be…be it peaceful, inspiring, relaxing, happy, cozy or some mixture thereof.  DeCluttering, organizing and simplifying doesn’t mean your homes will lose their special personality. Your home will absolutely sing with the true spirit of those things you do hold near and dear… Your favorite painting, piece of furniture, or framed photos, even your most treasured keepsakes can stand out…

And, lo and behold (okay, that’s a bit dramatic, though perhaps appropriate), what do you suddenly have more of?

TIME!!