This act was the seed behind the founding of A Little Extra Love. In 2020, while the world was locked inside due to the Covid-19 pandemic, I found myself wanting to do more. I wanted to help the doctors and nurses. I wanted to protect those in need. I wanted to help whomever I could, but I didn’t know where to start. Everything felt so big and I felt really tiny… but I didn’t let that stop me.
I decided I wanted to do something kind for the homeless families that received support from Cuidando Los Niños (CLN) in Albuquerque, NM. I reached out to everyone I knew online, in the community, and of course my close friends and family. I asked for any type of donation that could be turned into gift bags for homeless children and their families. Toys, personal care products, candy, blankets, clothing, and so much more.
The response I received was honestly life-changing. I received carloads of toys, gifts, and supplies. After driving around town for days picking things up I spent another week organizing them and packaging everything up into large gift bags. My husband and I put in about $400 of our own money too (the best $400 we’ve ever spent). I knew in my heart then, this is what I wanted to do with my life. Give back to others through random acts of kindness.
We ended up putting together around 200 bags as well as having about 5 large boxes full of unwrapped toys. We dropped everything off at CLN a few days before Christmas. Giving those gifts was the best gift I had ever received. It lit a fire in my soul… a fire burning to do more. Thus, the seed that was planted eventually became A Little Extra Love.
