At my height of producing I had a chest freezer full. I was collecting 2-3 times what we needed for her bottles each day, while also still breastfeeding several times a day. My goal was to donate. But when I went back to work I gradually lost my supply. I was still producing but each week was a little less and a little less. We ended up going through almost every bag in the freezer by the time she was a year old.
Also, be aware that some donation places require blood tests to be done before they’ll accept donations and they’ll only accept milk pumped after the results. If you donate to an individual they likely won’t care.
I did this! You have to send them by next week I think, but they’ve also partnered up with ToysRus to have a small online store that ships directly to the family. The letters are only ones sent to a specific Santa address, meant for the operation Santa.
It took awhile to find a letter. Like some of the comments said there’s a lot of expensive stuff on there. But they’re kids. They just want what their friends have. They want to fit in. They’re writing a letter to Santa, who can gift them anything. I tried to cut them some slack for their wishlists.
The most heartbreaking one was a letter that said their house had just been foreclosed on and they had to move. They asked for beds, mattresses, and bedding for their two kids.
The letters can be from anyone. Kids, parents, even just adults without kids. I also appreciated that it wasn’t religious or military affiliated.