Blessing Bag Assembly and Contents
We would like for each individual, group, church, or organization to sign up for 100 bags (but whatever amount you can contribute is appreciated). This should make enough Blessing Bags to hand out over two months at Tuscaloosa’s abortion location.
Items we recommend for the bags
Clear bags: We purchased bags from clearbags.com (however, you can find these at many other places online too and possible in craft stores). We recommend clear gusset bags, 6 x 4 x 12 inches. The reason we have chosen these over paper gift bags, is that sometimes it rains and is very windy and paper bags will not hold up nearly as well as the plastic. One hundred bags bought from clearbags.com were about ~$20.00 (including shipping)
Ribbon: “Curling ribbon” or organza (non-wired) both work great, but you are free to use whatever kind of ribbon you desire (we do not recommend wired ribbon though). *IMPORTANT NOTE- Please do not tie the bags closed with a knot, but instead, tie in a bow. We want to make the bags secure, but easy to get into!* A simple bow will need about 18 inches of ribbon, but if you want to use 24+ inches you can make a pretty bow (and probably have enough to curl the ends). This means, for 100 bags, you will need between 150-200 feet (50-66 yards) of ribbon. You can find this online or in stores. Below are some examples.
Contents of Blessing Bags- a few examples
Items: We recommend at least 3 small items in each bag in addition to the literature. As far as price goes- $.75-1.00/item is about the going rate for small, travel size items at Walmart. We found nice, travel size hand sanitizers, lotions, sticky notes, pens, chapstick, and small packages of “kleenex” tissues at the Dollar Tree for ⅓-½ of the Walmart price. However, to get enough you might have to go to several different Dollar Tree stores, buy them over several weeks as they restock, or buy them online. Dollar Tree sells these items by the case online, but you will need to plan for it to take at least one month to get the items and allow time for re-ordering if there are mistakes.
Of course, lots of other places have these types of items too. It is up to you how much you want to spend on the bags. You might also be able to find bulk items online also (like through Amazon or Ebay). Some homemade gift ideas are knitted or crocheted headbands, hats, open fingered gloves, and washcloths (may be given in combination with some body gel or good smelling bar soap!). But, please do not include any homemade foods or homemade consumable items.
Literature: In order to try to simplify the Blessing Bags literature for you, we have already ordered the brochures (that have been personalize with local help/contact information) and cards that you will need to put in the bags. After you sign up, we will get your contact information and mail you (or you may pick it up) the Blessing Bag literature pack.
You will receive:
A card of introduction-100
Locally personalized brochure- 100
Assembling the Blessing Bags
(Special note- Over time, we have adjusted the Blessing Bags contents as we found out what works best in the bags. Some things that we have tried, but are no longer using, are tissue paper, candy, gum, chocolates, tea bags, and individual bags of hot cocoa. Some of the videos and pictures on the website will not show the current bag recommendations. Please READ this “assembly” page carefully for current recommendations.
Cost: By now you may be wondering how much all this will cost. That all depends on what you decide to put in the bags and where you buy the items. A generous estimate would be for $4.00/bag if you put 3 items/bag. Deals, sales, and creativity might help save some money too.
If you desire, any bag items not used could be donated when you deliver the Blessing Bags. There will probably be times when the Blessing Bags run out and the prolife advocates could use the extras to quickly make up some more bags. Don’t worry, the extra items will not be used for any other purpose besides future Blessing Bags.
A couple requests:
1. Please be sure to read ALL the information and links on this website related to the Blessing Bags BEFORE you make them. There is some good information about what should/should not be used.
2. Please do not add anything else to the bags (like tissue paper, candy, or notes) without running it by us first. There are many reason that we have chosen to do it this way & included/excluded different items or literature. Please contact us before you add anything else. On the flip side, if you have a great idea about how to improve the bags, please let us know that too!
And, Blessing Bags…for Men?
When we first decided make a Blessing Bag for men, we were not sure if it would be something we would continue. However, this little gift of love has been very well received and we want you to tell you about it also. So many times, the men end up lingering outside of West Alabama Women’s Center for hours as they wait for the women inside. There are often opportunities to interact with these waiting fathers and friends, many of whom do not want the women they brought to actually have an abortion. We put together a little bag geared specifically to the men. If you would be interested in helping with the Men’s Blessing Bags, please click here to find out more.
The bags are made, now what?
We ask that you call or text Ellen 205-454-3414 to arrange a time to meet to deliver the bags. Be sure to save a few large boxes to help store and transport the Blessing Bags to the prolife advocates.
And thank you for helping take a stand for LIFE!
Note- The Blessing Bag idea was originally seen on the Sidewalk Advocates for Life (SAFL) website. SAFL is an organization that promotes peaceful, prayerful, and law-abiding sidewalk counseling. We have used the basic Blessing Bag ideas from their website and adapted them to fit our local needs. We appreciate them allowing us to use their information.