Since
2014
Helping
Kids
In Crisis
Abbie’s Helping Hands is an organization I started back in 2014 because when you are 10 or 11 years old, it can be hard to find groups that will let you work with or specifically help kids because of safety or privacy concerns. I wanted to help kids who live in my community who might need support, safety, and happiness. I started Abbie’s Helping Hands because I went on a tour of a children’s shelter and home in St. Louis that is for abused and neglected kids. One of the littlest kids came up to me and welcomed me as “a new girl.” I knew that I was not going to be staying there but I was inspired by her positive attitude even though she had gone through tough times. I learned that a lot of the time, kids and young mothers come to shelters like the one I toured without any of their own things and sometimes have never had anything they could really call their own. I asked how I could help and they told me that children’s homes need things like supplies and blankets. I decided to start out by making blankets that the kids could have when they check in there and they can keep forever. We set out making blankets for babies, kids, and young mothers need when they get to area shelters or are receiving services from different community service organizations.
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We didn't stop there and have grown and expanded what we do! We also started collect donations of toiletries and personal hygiene supplies so that we can make "blessing bags" to give to shelters or to kids on the street who need supplies to keep clean and take care of themselves when they are in difficult situations.
We haven't just grown what we do, but also where we do it! In the past three years we have given blankets to Tennessee Baptist Children’s Home, Rainbow House Columbia, Childcenter Marygrove, the St. Louis Crisis Nursery, City Union Mission KC, Angel's Wings, and Ronald McDonald House--places in multiple states!
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We have developed partnerships with so many great organizations that may not have a physical location but distribute our blankets to the people who need them. We have donated blankets to auction off to raise money for kids to enjoy programs who may not otherwise be able to afford them, like Metro Theater Company, HisKIDS Cancer Support Camp, and Smile Train St. Louis. In October 2016 we started a new partnership with the St. Louis Veterans’ Administration Hospital Fisher House. It is a state of the art facility that often has very young children accompanying their military parents who have been injured in service and are treating in St. Louis and staying at Fisher House, or kids of active duty military members who are receiving medical treatment in St. Louis but are staying at Fisher House instead of Ronald McDonald House.
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Who is in Abbie’s Helping Hands? If you like kids, and you’d like to help get together things that they need, then you are a Helping Hand! Anyone who donates supplies, or helps make a blanket, or gets out the word about what we are trying to do is part of Abbie’s Helping Hands. That is the great thing about the group, if we all just put in whatever we can, it helps that many more kids. I’d love for everyone to be a Helping Hand.
TIMELINE
June 2021 - Donation of 40+ blessing bags to Loaves & Fishes Missouri
May 2021 - Major donation from the Elliot Family of Millstadt, IL that will allow us to restock many supplies and fleece!
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April 2021 - Assembled 35+ more large feminine hygiene kits for female adults and teens
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March 2021 - Donated blankets to Cardinal Glennon Children's Hospital and hygiene kits to The Women's Safe House
December 2020 - Donated blessing bags and hygiene kits to Almost Home Shelter and Covenant House Shelter in St. Louis, MO.
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July 2020 - Donated blankets to Wings of Hope in Chesterfield, MO; they transport children for medical care all over the world.
June 2020 - Donated 30+ blessing bags to Loaves & Fishes Shelter and Food Pantry in St. Louis County, MO; Assembled 20+ more large feminine hygiene kits for female adults and teens at Covenant House Shelter in St. Louis City
March 2020 - Began making feminine hygiene kits to support female students cut off from access to menstrual supplies due to COVID-19 school closures
December 2019 - Donation of blessing bags and toys to St. Louis Children's Hospital Snowflake Village program
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June 2019 - Donation of blessing bags and blankets to Angel Wings Clothing Closet in Mexico, MO
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April 2019 - Donation of Blessing bags and blankets to Sasha's Store at the Mid-Missouri Ronald McDonald House in Columbia, MO, and over 30 blankets to patients and their families at MU Women's and Children's Hospital (a Children's Miracle Network facility)
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February & March 2019 - Big Fleece Drive and Blanket Donation to City Union Mission Family Shelter in KC, MO
September 2018 & November 2018 - Blessing bag and scarf distributions in partnership with One Day One Meal One Love
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June 2018 - Blanket, blessing bag, and scarf donation to Audrain County Community Service Action / Angel's Arms Clothing Closet
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Spring 2018 - Blanket and blessing bag donation to Youth In Need
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December 2017 - Blanket donation to Ronald McDonald House
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November 2017 - Blessing bags donated in downtown St. Louis in partnership with One Meal One Love organization
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September 2017 - Blanket donation to Ronald McDonald House
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August 2017 - Blessing Bags hygiene mini-kit donations to Pittsburg Community Middle School
June 2017 - Blanket donation to Rainbow House Columbia
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April 2017 - Abbie and Abbie's Helping Hands are honored by the O'Fallon, MO Chapter of The Daughters of the American Revolution for the community service work and receives large toiletries donation
January 2017 - First joint partnership event with Fisher House scheduled with the group Cookin' Crowns
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December 2016 - Bulk welcome blanket drop planned for Fisher House
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October 2016 - Abbie's Helping Hands announces a new partnership with the St. Louis Veterans' Administration Health Center Fisher House, donating its first blanket to the House for their welcome baskets for young guests
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September 2016 - Abbie's Helping Hands goes multistate! Partnership with KY/TN National American Miss contestants to donate a blanket to the Tennessee Baptist Children's Home
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June 2016 - Donation of blankets and stuffed musical stars to Rainbow House Columbia!
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April 2016 - Donation of blankets to Smile Train St. Louis
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January & March 2016 - Blanket donation and Meal Pack Deliveries in partnership with One Meal One Love ​
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December 2015 & January 2016 - Holiday Blanket Making and Deliveries to HIS Kids and Ronald McDonald House
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October 2015 - Volunteering at Friends of Wings Raise the Roof
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September 2015 - Donation of Blessing Bags to St. Patrick Center
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July 2015 - AHH donates three blankets to St. Louis Crisis Nursery's downtown Centene Center!
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May 2015 - AHH donates two blankets to Metro Theater Company's Monster Rumpus, both sell and the proceeds go to scholarships to help kids attend theater camp!
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April 2015 - AHH announces partnership with HisKIDS for Christmas lap blankets supporting area children who are treating for cancer
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March 2015 - Abbie from AHH visits Childcenter Marygrove and drops off the group's first major blanket donation!
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February 16, 2015 - AHH is getting the word out! Abbie is scheduled to make a presentation to the St. Ferdinand School Junior Girl Scout Troop about AHH and make blankets! Thank you Scouts!
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February 8, 2015 - Our blog launched! You can see tons more pictures there and the latest news about what we're up to.
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December 2014 - Abbie begins making blankets and having blanket sleepovers!
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Fall 2014 - Abbie tours Childcenter Marygrove in St. Louis County and is inspired to create Abbie's Helping Hands. She begins collecting fleece and donations for supplies.
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HISTORY & WHAT WE DO
In Our Words
