Meet Paige Hanson and Nikki Garrison of Arizona Blessing Bags for the Homeless in Chandler

Today we’d like to introduce you to Paige Hanson and Nikki Garrison.

In early 2014, Paige was invited to Nikki’s house to assemble blessing bags for the homeless with her church group. The blessing bags were full of travel-sized necessities to help those experiencing homelessness. This simple act of kindness can have a profound impact on someone in need. After leaving that event, Paige did research learning about the Arizona homelessness and working poor epidemic and knew she could get her friends, family and network together to assemble blessing bags. The first official “Arizona Blessing Bags for the Homeless” event took place out of Paige’s house in June 2014 where we assembled 50 blessing bags. The yearly event has since grown into assembling 500 blessing bags!

We’ve all been at a stoplight and might see someone with a sign asking for our generosity, food or money. The idea is for volunteers to keep a couple of these bags in their vehicle and hand to someone in need. The rest of the bags are donated to local nonprofits that have programs set up to assist the homeless and working poor.

We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
For the first five events, we used Google Docs for people to sign up for the donations they wanted to bring. It’s easy but this required people to go out and find the donation we were requesting. Also, if the person donating couldn’t attend the event, Paige and Nikki spent a lot of time pre-event meeting up with friends to grab their donations. In 2019, we entered the convenient world of Amazon Wishlist and WOW did that make a difference. It was very easy for people to point, click and order. Yes, Paige’s postal carrier thought she had an Amazon problem, but it was all worth it!

We’d love to hear more about your business.
Assembling blessing bags has become a big passion project for Paige and Nikki. These gallon-sized bags contain 35 essentials ranging from toiletry items to food. Assembling blessing bags to help the less fortunate. Get-togethers like this enable 100% of the proceeds to go directly to those who need it most! We are known for making it easy for our volunteers to donate, attend and give back to the community. There are so many positives that come out of the yearly events.
1) It’s a chance for everyone to come together to do something that has a positive impact on the community.
2) Spreads awareness of homelessness and poverty.
3) Kids are invited to participate, so they can have an impact on their lives and it gives them a chance to start volunteering early.
4) Brings awareness to the nonprofits that are supporting homelessness.

Over the years this event has grown so much. In 2014 we had 1,300 items donated to assemble 50 bags … fast forward to our 2019 event, we had over 16,000 items donated to assemble 500 blessing bags!!

What were you like growing up?
Paige – Grew up in rural Iowa and have always been active in sports and outdoor activities. I am incredibly grateful for my roots and upbringing. Family and friends would say that I’m funny and care a lot about others. Some of my earliest memories of giving back were primarily through church gatherings or 4-H where we assisted with home cleanups, talking/visiting with older adults in long-term care and roadside cleanup.

Nikki – I grew up in a small town in Tennessee. My family was, more often than not, the working poor that we’re aiming to help now. There were plenty of nights that if not for the blessing of great friends, I wouldn’t have had a place to sleep or food to eat. We lived in the projects and were on food stamps. It wasn’t always the most pleasant environment. But it taught me not to take for granted what I have and definitely taught me empathy above judgment. So now that I’m in a position to bless others, it’s not even a question as to “if”. It’s a matter of how, when and where. My upbringing made me who I am and I wouldn’t change it for the world. We may not have had a lot of stuff, but we always had love and that’s what I want to show to those in need today.

Pricing:

• All of our donations can be found via Amazon Wishlist and range from $3 – $80.

Contact Info:

• Email: arizonablessingbags@gmail.com
• Instagram: @azblessingbags
• Facebook: @azblessingbags

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