A hands-on approach to giving

Volunteers will be turning old T-shirts into tote bags as part of an unusual holiday drive in Santa Monica.

As the holiday donation drive season approaches, the Santa Monica Museum of Art isn’t talking turkey. Instead, it’s got a more hand-crafted approach in mind. Its “What a Girl Wants, What a Girl Needs” initiative takes donated items for women and packages them with style—in tote bags that are also made by donors.

“It’s more than just giving a box full of beans; it’s giving something that was handmade by someone for someone else,” said Asuka Hisa, director of education and public programs for the museum. “There is a little more attention and care put into the act of giving.”

The museum will accept non-food items like shampoo, sunscreen, makeup, hygiene products, notebooks, art supplies and umbrellas. Then, donors can participate in a “Make-a-Tote Workshop,” where they will recycle old t-shirts into unique reusable bags, which will be used to carry the donated items to homeless and low-income women at the Ocean Park Community Center. Donors can create additional bags to take home, as well.

The event, now in its fourth year, is part of the museum’s “Cause for Creativity” program, which seeks to engage the local community with art while raising awareness of important social issues. According to Hisa, many of the women served by the Ocean Park Community Center have become interested in the museum, which also offers them free tours and craft making workshops. Some of the women have sold their creations at museum events.

The donation drive runs from October 24 through November 4. Drop-off times are 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., Tuesdays through Saturdays. The bag workshop is on Sunday, November 4, from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. Snacks and drinks will be provided at the workshop, which is free for those who bring items to donate and $8 for those who do not.

Posted 10/18/12