what can i bring?

i found a great tip on holding a warm clothes drive in this month's issue of martha stewart living that i've embellished upon. this year, when you're hosting your holiday events, if guests ask what they can bring (mine always do and i never let them bring a thing), suggest a (clean) piece of warm clothing to donate to your favorite shelter or non-profit organization. if it's a kid-friendly party, ask each child to bring one of their toys they no longer play with to donate (i'm pretty sure this will go over extremely well with the parents, too!). or if you're a pet lover, ask guests to bring pet supplies such as clean old blankets or towels, toys, grooming supplies, collars or leads. i recommend donating to either best friends animal society or noah's wish; both organizations helped innumerable pets and pet owners during katrina and beyond. check-out the best friends wish list and noah's wish needs list for ideas.

read martha's original tip here.

photo credit: martha stewart.