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Hello Everyone,
It is with a very heavy heart that I am writing to share that Haley’s Helping Hands will no longer be offering clothing and shoes. Orders received by March 31st will be filled. I plan to continue to offer other types of support to those in need, but as I head off to college, I won’t be able to manage the day-to-day shipping operation required to get clothing and shoes to those in need. I am, however, looking to retool my other initiatives to see what I can do while in college. I have learned so much from this part of my journey, and words cannot express how grateful I am to have been able to support those in need. I have worked with such incredible people along the way, and I will never take this experience for granted. HHH grew to something greater than I could have ever imagined, and that is because of all of your incredible support along the way. When I started HHH at age 11, I never dreamed it would become what it has. In the past six years, I have raised over $70,000 to support multiple initiatives, and I have shipped well over 40,000 items of clothing and shoes to families in need in twenty-two different states and India! From the bottom of my heart, I want to thank everyone who has supported me across the years in getting clothes and shoes into the hands of those in need. From those of you who donated to my first Kickstarter campaign which allowed me to launch HHH, to those of you who have donated clothing and shoes over the years, thank you! I truly cannot thank you enough for believing in me all of these years and for making it possible for me to support those in need. It is hard to believe this part of HHH is coming to an end, but I am excited about the future and about finding other ways to serve my community. SIncerely, Haley (age 17) A BIT OF HISTORY FROM THE LAST SEVEN YEARS: I started Haley’s Helping Hands of Maryland, Inc. when I was eleven years old because I believe in the importance of helping those in need. The primary focus of Haley’s Helping Hands has been to provide gently used clothing, shoes, and sports equipment to those in need whether homeless, living in a shelter or living on their own but in need of support. My goal has always been to provide three outfits per person when my inventory allowed, and in the winter months, my goal has been to include a coat, hat, gloves and scarf for every individual to whom I ship. I have also worked with shelters in Maryland to provide support as needed.
Individuals and families in need have been able to access support through this website by submitting a contact form listing the items they need. Once the request was received, I worked to gather as many of the requested items as possible based on my current inventory, which I have maintained through in-kind donations. All items were always shipped at absolutely no charge to the families. Through various fundraising efforts, I have been able to raise money to cover all shipping costs. My goal was alway to fill each request within two weeks. I have also raised funds to provide scholarships for children that will allow them to join local sports teams such as soccer, baseball and lacrosse, or activities such as taekwondo. I believe that by providing these scholarships, I can help children feel more confident about themselves, which will hopefully lead to better experiences in life! I believe that when children feel confident, they are happier, have an easier time learning, and are better able to demonstrate their skills! Finally, as I worked to grow HHH over the years, I learned more and more about what people truly need to support their children and families such as school supplies, undergarments and books, all of which can be very expensive. My goal will continue to be to purchase these items new thanks to your generous donations. Finally, and thanks to a $25,000 grant, I was able to start suppling Chromebooks to local nonprofits this year, and I plan to continue that effort. Thank you, Haley 
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What's happening at Haley's Helping Hands? Watch our slideshow to see:
HOW MANY FAMILIES HAS HHH SERVED?
JUST THE NUMBERS... 2015 Busy getting our name out! 500 items dropped at shelters to introduce HHH 2016 78 shipments 1,950 articles of clothing and shoes (*) 2017 365 shipments 9,125 article of clothing and shoes (*) ..school supplies, new undergarments, sports equipment and sports scholarships too! 2018 475 shipments 11,875 articles of clothing and shoes (*) ..school supplies, new undergarments, sports equipment and sports scholarships too! 2019 368 shipments 9,200 articles of clothing and shoes (*) ..school supplies, new undergarments, sports equipment and sports scholarships too! 2020 251 shipments (no shipping for three months - COVID) 6,275 items articles of clothing and shoes (*) $12,000 in Chromebooks to local nonprofits $2,000 in chrildren's books during the quarantine ..school supplies, new undergarments, sports equipment and sports scholarships too! (*) Assumes an average of 25 items shipping to each family. On average, it costs between $20 and $27 to ship a box. All boxes are shipped free of charge using funds HHH raises. To date, HHH has raised over $70,000 to support those in need in 22 different states (and India) and has shipped approximately 38,000 - 40,000 items! |
