Blessing Bags – Keep on Hand for those in Need or Donate + FREE Printable Checklist & Encouragement Cards
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Pack a Blessing Bag to give to people in need – we’ve got a free printable checklist & free encouragement cards plus a list of all the items to include in your bag to give to people who are homeless, in shelters and more.
Blessing Bags – Helping those in Need +
Free Printable Checklist + Encouragement Cards
In the past, we have shared a list of ways that you can give back to the community you live in & how to get kids involved and one of the ways we mentioned was to create Blessing Bag kits to hand out to those in need or to give to homeless shelters. We have made it even easier for you to put together Blessing Bags using this FREE printable Blessing Bag checklist too.
This is a very real, tangible way to help in a situation where you find someone who is in need and you really feel like you want to do something but are unsure of exactly what to do. Â Handing out a Blessing Bag to someone gives you a very real way to meet their immediate needs by providing them with some basic supplies such as toiletries, water, food and warmth.
Blessing Bags are great to keep on hand in your car, so if you are in a situation where you find someone in need, you have the bag right there to hand to them.
This is a way to demonstrate and teach your kids the act of giving in the face of a need instead of just driving by or walking away without responding.
The Blessing Bag kits are also very helpful to donate to homeless shelters (see our list of Northwest homeless shelters, food banks & more) & other organizations working with the homeless. They can pass these out after they provide a meal so that the men & women can have some new supplies to add to their backpacks. They stack easily in boxes so you can store quite a few in an area to keep them stocked & ready to hand out to those who need them.
Many of these items can be found at significant discounts when you use coupons & follow the sales as well as shop clearance sections, too. I keep a box in my closet to put these items in as I find them on clearance or with coupons & then when we’re ready to make the bags, we’ve already got quite a few items. Get your kids involved in picking out items for the Blessing Bags & then they can help you stuff the bags & get an assembly line style going at home. Â Teaching kids about helping people in need in real, tangible ways is an invaluable lesson!
Watch this Video to Find out what to Include:
Watch this short video on YouTube to see how easy it is to put together a Blessing Bag!
Items to Include in Blessing Bag Kit:
**Get a FREE printable Blessing Bag checklist to print off & bring with you to the store with a list of all these items! Plus, a free printable note of encouragement that you can sign or customize with your own note.
Gallon Size Ziploc Bag – This is key for several reasons:
- Helps to keep everything together & in one place so they can easily access the supplies in their bags/backpacks
- Keeps the items from spilling/leaking onto their personal items in their bags
- The bags can later be used for other storage options within their bags – storing toiletries, snacks, etc
Hand-Warmers – we put a couple packs in, especially during the winter, but even for those chilly evenings in the spring/summer/fall these would be very welcome. We buy a pack of 40 at Costco  for around $15 ($.38/pk) & then we have these on hand for blessing bags as well as camping, winter sports, etc.
Bag of Quarters – These are nice to include for washing clothes at the laundromat (we just put them in a snack-size Ziploc bag to keep them contained in a smaller area
Bottle of Water – Mini water bottles work great so they don’t take up too much space or if you can fit a regular size water bottle
Band-Aids – these are something that may often be needed but may not be something they would be able to spend money on or think about having.
Baby Wipes – a small pack of baby wipes would be a great one to include to help with feeling clean & fresh
Hand Sanitizer – another great option to help them feel cleaner
Wash Cloth – buy an inexpensive wash cloth to include
Toiletries:
*If you have a lot of items to include in your bags, travel-size toiletries work great
Find a number of bulk options for toiletries here that would be great fits.
- Toothbrush
- Toothpaste (travel size if you have a lot of items to put into your bag)
- Floss
- Soap (we bring home soaps from hotels if we don’t end up using all of them)
- Deodorant
- Shampoo/conditioner (these are also great products to save from hotels if you don’t use them as they’re the perfect size for these bags)
- Comb
- Personal hygiene items if you’re making a kit for a woman (tampons, pantiliners, pads, etc)
- Sunscreen (depending on time of year)
- Chapstick
Personal Items:
- New Socks
- New Underwear
- Inexpensive gloves
 Non-Perishable Foods:
- Granola Bars
- Energy Bars
- Tuna/cracker packs
- Trail mix
- Raisins
- Peanuts
- Fruit cup/ applesauce cup (& include a spoon)
- Gum/hard candy
- Hot Cocoa/Spiced Cider Mixes or on-the-go coffee mixes
Free Printable Checklist:
To make this easier when you head to the store to get your supplies, we have created a FREE printable checklist for Blessing Bags. This will help you to know what you need & organize better when you’re shopping at the store.
Free Printable Encouragement Cards:
If you’d like to include a note of encouragement inside your blessing bag – we have two options for you to print off & include::
Version #1 without Bible Verse:
You Matter.
You are not forgotten.
Hope this Blessing Bag brightens your day.
You Matter.
You are not forgotten.
Cast all your anxiety on Him because he cares for you. 1 Peter 5:7
Blessing Bag Stuffing Parties:
A fun idea is to have a bag stuffing activity at a party or group meeting if you’re looking for a community outreach project. Gather a group together & create a list of items needed for people to purchase ahead of time.  Then everyone picks one or a few items  to bring – by buying in bulk just one or two items, they can save more money than buying all the individual items. Set out a few tables & create an assembly line to assemble the bags quickly. These are a great way to add a service/community aspect to a get-together, especially around the holidays or if you’re looking for a project for a group or meeting as they’re very easy to organize & quick to put together. Participants can then either take a few bags to keep on hand in their vehicles or donate them all to a homeless shelter or organization.
Have you ever created a Blessing Bag – any other items you’d include in these bags?
Make sure to check out our Blessing Bag Meals as well as another option which would be great to pass out to those in need or leave on a doorstep of a family who may be struggling.
This is a great idea! I created some of these to hand out to the folks we see while we travel (which we do a lot.)
I also included several of those “detergent sheets” in a separate plastic baggy, with instructions (they’re weird if you’ve never seen them before.) They are super light and thin, and they function as detergent and a dryer sheet. Speaking as someone who has done their laundry in a laundromat before, they WAY overcharge for those tiny packets of detergent and fabric softener. I thought it would be an easy way of helping reduce the burden of needing to wash their clothes somehow. (Like this: https://www.walmart.com/ip/Purex-Complete-3-In-1-Spring-Oasis-Laundry-Sheets-22ct/16419328 )
That and I bought travel covers to go on the toothbrushes. No one likes a gunky toothbrush. If you’re making a bag for a lady, I know small makeup items are always appreciated (mascara, lip gloss, etc.) so I always toss one in there .
What great tips, Emily! Thank you!! I have not seen these detergent sheets, but they sound perfect! And I had not thought of travel covers for toothbrushes, but you’re right, they do get gross fast if you don’t have them protected – definitely things to consider. And definitely think of some of the feminine needs if you’re making ones up for females!
I was able to buy the small packs of Tide from a wholesaler. The little boxes that cost a dollar in the machine, I got for about 25 cents. I use them in blessing boxes around my county.
That’s awesome – what a great deal so you could be able to put those in the blessing bags!
Hi :)
how about also a wind up torch ( you know the ones that don’t need batteries)
bandaids/plasters
stamps and envelopes + pen
nail clippers and file
camping set of fork knife and spoon (like this: https://www.anaconda.com.au/Product/Camp-and-Hike/Cooking/Utensils/2-Piece-Cutlery-Set)
i like how on the check list it also has a gift voucher to the grocery store, very useful :)
:)
Those are awesome ideas, Erin! Thank you! I had to look up the wind-up torch though – didn’t realize it was a type of flashlight. :) I wonder if there are any cheaper alternatives for the camping fork/knife/spoon set if you’re doing multiple blessing bags – something to keep an eye on in camping clearance for sure! It would be nice for them to have something other than plastic!
thanks :) yeah we have a flashlight which doesn’t need batteries, it is all powered by you winding the handle, which stores the power to use later :) the cutlery is hard to do for many bags, maybe discount stores have single non plastic spoons/ knives etc on sale, or big sets with multiple of each in it, which could help even out the pricing. :)
Great idea. I will be making these up. Thanks but the only thing that prints is a big bag.
Hi Cecilia – I’m sorry you are having trouble. Is this the link that you are using that is only printing the top bag but nothing else on the page? I just tried printing it again myself & it worked, so trying to troubleshoot what may be happening for you. https://www.thriftynorthwestmom.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/trifty-nw-check-list-for-blessing-bags.pdf
A wonderful plan for so many in need. Great service project for schools and girl guides. Thank you
It does work really well as a service project for groups as you can assign different people to just bring one or two of the items & find a bunch of them. Like one person bring all the toothbrushes, one person bring toothpaste, etc. Thank you Allison for the kind words!
Great idea.
WRT COSTCO (and all other on line price list.) Often the prices on line have zero to do with in store prices. In my experience most on line vendors up-charge by ~20% over in store prices.
Try to get the in store prices is difficult at best unless you want to spend hours on hold on the phone.
I would add that the blessing bags are a good idea for elderly especially in nursing homes or recipients of meals on wheels
Does all the items on this checklist all fit in a 1 gallon bag?
We give a lot of examples of items, such as examples of food items, but if you put one of everything we list on the checklist, no, it would not all fit in the bag. The idea is to give several of each category – toiletry, food items, personal item, etc. Hope that helps!
Thank you for the good list. I’ve been buying a few pairs of Sketchers shoes at the local Sketchers store and they always ask if I want a bag…it is actually a nylon windbreaker-style backpack and i figured it would be awesome for a blessing bag.
This is such a great idea! I’m going to use this with my students. I really love the way you developed this!
I put stocking caps, face warmers, (not neck scarf), wool socks, flat tuna pkts. One thing to note is that women do not want bright colors; it draws too much attention to them. I usually get black or gray outer clothes. I also included a very thin raincoat. If I can find one of those thin reflective survival blankets I will include that.
Oh that’s a good tip, Maureen, good to keep in mind when choosing colors. And love the idea of a thin raincoat and/or survival blankets.
A lot of the items can be bought at a Dollar Tree (1.25/item). you can find some great items at goodwill & salvation army-this helps those programs,too.