Melissa McClone: Authors With Heart Mother's Day Totes

Romance authors and readers are some of the most caring and generous folks around. When you ask for help, they step forward in a big way.

I want to tell you about a group that I’m calling #authorswithheart. They helped me with a project near and dear to my heart—providing Mother’s Day goodie bags to moms staying at two Washington state Fisher Houses. If you don’t know anything about Fisher House, click on this link. It’s a fantastic organization that supports military families.

The first goodie bag!

For the past three years, I’ve sent Mother’s Day goodie bags to the two Fisher Houses. I’d seen a request for help from a service member care package organization and offered to send something.

The first year was a solo effort. Each clear goodie bag contained an autographed book, a pair of footies, a candy bar and two tea bags. I secured them with a ribbon and attached a little card.

Year two goodie bag!

The next year, I was no longer volunteering with the organization, but offered to send something again if they’d like. They did, and I decided to do more this time.

I asked authors, readers and friends to sponsor Thirty-One Thermal Totes. I also asked authors if they’d send a few books. Some authors sent more than a few and also included swag, which I hadn’t thought to ask for. I was so happy how the tote bags turned out, and they were a big hit!

This year, I found out the organization I’d gone through the past two year had changed their focus so wasn't working with the Fisher House for Mother's Day, but they gave me the phone numbers of the house managers. I called and asked if I could send Mother’s Day totes this year. They said yes!

This year's contents!

I approached authors first, starting with last year’s participants and then asked other authors. I'd learned my lesson last year so made a point to request swag!

By the time I’d heard back from everyone, I had enough authors wanting to sponsor totes. I also had more than enough books, not to mention swag. I was so excited, and that excitement grew each time another box arrived. Opening them was like Christmas!

Thirty thermal totes were filled with over 200 romance novels, a goodie bag filled with book/author swag (bookmarks, pens, post-it notes, jewelry, key chains, chapstick, jar opener, nail files, measuring spoon, combs, postcards, luggage tags, etc.), a goodie bag filled with pampering items (nail polish, shower puffy, tissue, hair band, comb, footie socks, and candy and a cone of flavored popcorn!

Putting it all together!

The goodie bag assembly took place on my dining room table, which we only use for holiday dinners! I sorted the swag into thirty piles then bagged it! All went into a tote bag along with a card with the sponsor author's name. They were boxed and mailed to the two Fisher Houses.

One of the Fisher Houses wrote to me the following: 

"...these have been delightful, the guests love them!"

I'd like to give a shout-out to the authors who helped me this year. Some sponsored totes, others donated books and/or swag. Some did all three. I can't thank them enough for their generosity and time.

Christine Rimmer	Jennifer Faye	Lynda Ward
Christyne Butler	Jennifer Snow	Mary Jo Putney
Cindy Kirk	Joanne Rock	Melinda Curtis
Deborah Blake	Kaira Rouda	Michelle Major
Donna Alward	Karen Rose Smith	Nancy Robards Thompson
Elizabeth Boyle	Karen Templeton	Roxanne Sponek
Jane Porter	Katherine Garbera	Susan Mallery
Jean C. Gordon	Lenora Worth	Scarlet Wilson
Jeannie Moon	Linda Goodnight	Tracy Solheim

 

Over the next several months, I'm doing features on the Authors With Heart at my website's blog. You can find out about one of the author's titles and win an eBook, too. I hope you'll check out the posts!

 

Now I have a giveaway for you! I made up goodie bags with the leftover swag from the Mother's Day totes. There’s a grand prize, a 2^nd place prize and three runner-up prizes for you to win. 

Leave a comment and I’ll choose the winners using random.org on Monday evening, May 25th. Be sure to check back to see if you won.

If you're a winner, you can contact me via my website or PM me on my Facebook page. If I don't hear from winners by Friday, May 29th, I'll pick new winners and post them here and on my Facebook page on Saturday, May 30th.