My City January 2023

MYOUTREACH

Make a Purchase, Help the Homeless BY CHERYL DENNISON

SpicyTruffel / stock.adobe.com

Tucked away on Bridge Street in the quaint little town of Linden is a tiny retail store that is an extension of Snuggle Sacks, a nonprofit organization founded in August 2015 by three children: Addisyn, Jaxson and Sheridan Goss. According to their mother, Stacy Daul, the goal of Snuggle Sacks has been to increase aware ness of homelessness in the surrounding communities and provide survival kits for those in need. Giving Grace Boutique, which opened in March 2021, is a retail entity but all of the sales revenue helps fund the work of Snuggle Sacks. “We acquired the building in Linden to use as a warehouse for our Snuggle

Sacks supplies,” Daul explains. But the building was set up as a retail store and at that time, Snuggle Sacks was struggling to get donations, she adds. “The year 2020 was a struggle for us because donations were affected by the pandemic.” She bought the boutique using her own funds and started the retail business. “We thought it could be a good source of cash flow for Snuggle Sacks,” Daul reports, “and it has worked like a charm.” At Giving Grace Boutique, you will find a variety of apparel, home decor, local food/snacks, hats, winter gear, jewelry, BruMate products and items crafted by local artisans. “It’s all brand-new merchandise,” says Daul,

14

MYCITYMAG.COM