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There is always so much a do about The Swag at #BlogHer. Some of it really swell and useful, others conjure up the thought “what were they smoking when they came up with this idea?” I’m not naming brands here, but if you’ve been on the expo floor, you know what I’m talking about.
Being in this line of work makes you think a lot about “stuff.” The haves and the have nots, and the incredible amount of stuff that is present at a conference where brands are trying their darnedest to grab the attention of highly influential household decision makers (go women!). Kudos to the folks behind BlogHer whose efforts to reduce waste are commendable.
The Sunday after the conference I went through all the swag I procured. I was judicious with what I accepted at the expo hall, really keeping an eye on practical everyday items. Being someone who did not attend many of the private parties, my guess is that I hadn’t accumulated much stuff compared to other conference attendees.
Anyways, the only thing I ended up wanting to save for my household was a children’s dvd for the kids. The rest of the stuff I decided to take home to donate to a partner agency.
Here’s the swag I’m donating this week:
- (30) reusable shopper bags – thanks to the BlogHer swag exchange, these will go to homeless moms, many of whom had to leave their homes with only the clothes on their backs. You cannot see all 30 bags as they are stuffed into other bags.
- (2) pairs of flip flops – great to wear in shower at the homeless shelter
- (3) notepads + pens – useful to write down appointments and information
- (1) box of mints – portable personal hygiene
- (2) pocket mirrors – portable personal hygiene
- (1) large nail buffer/file – portable personal hygiene
- (1) coupon for a free item at Micky D’s
- (1) coupon for a free bag of chips
- (1) sample of breakfast cereal
- (1) pouch of baby food – convenient on the go, healthy food
- (2) canisters of black tea – homeless shelter kitchen
- (1) t shirt
- (2) tubes of lotion – portable personal hygiene
- (2) tubes of toothpaste – portable personal hygiene
- (2) travel sized child’s herbal cold and cough medicine – portable medicine
- (2) packs of salt water taffy – just in time for Halloween festivities at the homeless center
- (2) travel shampoos and lotions (not pictured) – incredibly useful to families in transition
Our partner agency will pick up these items along with their normal diaper delivery, which makes me really happy that I lugged all this swag home. It was really fun thinking about swag in terms of what I could donate and if it would be useful to the families we serve.
Will you join me next year?