The Big Sky Project by Lauren Widman

 

    Hi, my name is Lauren. In these past few months, I have embarked on an incredible journey that taught me so many invaluable lessons. In total, I collected 250 warm clothing items from my Florida hometown and donated them to a thrift store in Montana. Here in Florida, we only use warm clothes for a few weeks out of the year, but where my family lives in Western Montana, residents wear these clothes all year. I created The Big Sky Project because I realized that the majority of my closet was composed of sweaters and sweatshirts, which I never get to wear due to the weather. I knew that I was not the only one with this dilemma, so I decided to take action. 

    I received 115 pairs of jeans, 51 jackets, and 84 other clothing items. My goal was to collect 100 pairs of jeans and 20 jackets, and it is safe to say The Big Sky Project was successful. In my hometown of Santa Rosa Beach, Florida, I have spent 150+ hours volunteering for my local thrift store. I decided to donate the clothing to the Women in Timber Thrift Store of Superior, Montana, because my grandma had told me about their desire for more donations from the community. Thrift stores do so much more than just sell clothes. They use their profits to provide the community with food, beds, scholarships, and more! Many people around the US rely on their local thrift stores. 

    I reached out to my peers for support and collected so many donations of warm, clean clothing. People gave what they could, whether it was a single pair of jeans or a bag of clothes. While collecting donations, I learned to appreciate the strength of community. The Big Sky Project would not be possible without donors, so thank you to everyone who helped! 

Below, you will see all of my blog posts as I collected donations. I wrote about the benefits of secondhand clothing and shared playlists I created on my YouTube channel, "The Big Sky Project." 

For now, I will stop posting on this blog, but I will be happy to collect donations up until April 15th. It has been such a pleasure to execute The Big Sky Project. I carry with me the lessons I learned over these past few months. Never underestimate the strength of community and the power of small acts of kindness. 

THANK YOU! 

- Lauren

Now enjoy the official blog of The Big Sky Project. :)

250 ITEMS!!!

 I have just returned home from my Spring Break in Montana! When I arrived, my family added some more donations, resulting in a total of 250 donations! Of course, I would be happy to collect more donations, but they will not be delivered until this summer. 

I could not have completed The Big Sky Project without the help of the generous donors. Hand-delivering the clothes to the Women in Timber Thrift Store of Superior, MT was a great experience. The volunteers were so kind. 

Thanks to everyone who supported The Big Sky Project! 

So many donations heading to MT!

 

Here is the complete list of everything donated! Whether you donated jeans, jackets, t-shirts, blankets, shoes, or more, every single thing will be appreciated by residents of Western Montana. We have officially surpassed our goals of 100 pairs of jeans and 20 jackets! 

Even though the Big Sky Project is coming to an end soon, be sure to support your local thrift stores and donate as often as you can! If you can't donate clothes or money, donate your time. So many thrift stores need volunteers to ensure that they can keep everything organized while helping their community!

Thank you for 230 donations!

 

230 DONATIONS!!!!!

This would not be possible without such generous donors. This passion project means so much to me, so for you guys to help this cause fills me with so much joy. 

Today, I stayed true to my promise and bought an additional 15 pairs of jeans. Tomorrow, I will travel up North to deliver my donations to the Women in Timber Thrift Store of Superior, MT!

If you have not donated yet, I will accept donations until April 15.