Next month is National Mental Health awareness month and after experiencing my own struggle with depression/OCD I wanted to help bring light to this topic in every way that I can. Over the next month, I will be highlighting ways that you can get involved to #normalizePPD. This post features my new friends Ziraffe, who are helping me to raise money to donate to a charity I believe in with my whole being. It’s alarming that “1 in 5 Americans will be affected by a mental health condition in their lifetime and every American is affected or impacted through their friends and family” so keep reading to learn more about Ziraffe and how you too can get involved. (Source: NAMI:National Alliance on Mental Health).

We have been blessed to receive so many beautiful, hand-crafted pieces of clothing from small shops or as gifts from family and friends. And because we aren’t 100% sure if baby number two is in our immediate future we’re packing up Winter’s clothes that she has grown out of but it just doesn’t feel right to put them into boxes to store in the basement indefinitely. So when I learned about Ziraffe and their Ziraffe LovedBy_Community™, I jumped all over it as it's a platform where parents can buy and sell brand new or very gently used high-quality children's items without worrying about the cost of shipping for both the seller and buyer (it’s paid for by Ziraffe).

Becoming a seller on Ziraffe LovedBy_Community™ was an easy decision. Not only does it feel good to model sustainable and ethical consumerism for Winter by passing on perfectly good items to others, but there is also an option of donating the proceeds to a charity of my choice. How cool is that? I get to pick the charity!!! And what speaks volumes about the integrity and character of Ziraffe is that they don’t keep a portion of the profits. That's right, 100% of the proceeds goes to the charity of your choosing.

Philanthropy, charity and giving back have always been things that I have valued. I have volunteered in an orphanage in Guatemala as an art teacher, ran a non-profit respite program for children with disabilities and their siblings, and donated money monthly to charities such as NPH International (a non-profit that supports orphanages all over the world). I want Winter to grow up in a household that teaches her that giving is the best way to gain and instill a sense of empathetic living into our lives.

After struggling with, and thankfully now able to say beating, postpartum depression, this topic is one that I hold very near and dear to my heart. I am finding more ways to become actively involved with community and national organizations that advocate for women experiencing the negative ramifications of antepartum and postpartum depression. That’s why I decided to donate the proceeds of my Ziraffe sales to Postpartum Support International. I want to support this organization as a token of my appreciation for how real and how difficult it is to combat PPD. If by offering monetary support (no matter how small it is) can help to reach more women who are suffering, then I am more than happy to donate!

You can view my seller profile here to see what I am selling for charity.

Many of the items I listed on the platform are pieces that I wish Winter would be able to fit into forever. While they were hard to part with, I know that they will be just as loved by another family. I feel extra good that the proceeds will go to a cause that I had no idea would become such an integral part of my journey as a mother.

If you are looking to buy or sell your baby's treasures (or better yet, donate your proceeds to charity), I highly recommend Ziraffe LovedBy_Community™. The process is so seamless. There is an email link on every page of the platform for people who are interested in becoming a seller. Just click on it and let the owners know that you are interested. When you get a sale, they will notify you and email you the shipping label. The Ziraffe LovedBy_Community™ team arranges USPS door-to-door pick-ups for you, because let's be real, a trip to the post office with my child is one of the last things I want to do :) As soon as the mail carrier picks up the order, the platform will release the payment to you as the seller or donate the proceeds to the charity of your choice.

While I just spent a good deal of time highlighting the charity portion of Ziraffe LovedBy_Community™ , I also want to note that the outfits that Winter and I are wearing are from Ziraffe, which is is the store part of the platform.

I am wearing this dress by Macarons and the quality is just amazing. This line by Maracons is 100% organic, even their buttons are made from certified organic mother-of-pearl shells and tree nut shells. Winter is wearing this 100% cotton floral dress by Christina Rohde. It is the softest fabric and is perfect for the airy spring and summer days.

Everything in the shop at Ziraffe is handpicked by the founders, Yunyi and Katie. The craftsmanship and design that goes into these lines are impeccable and come from all over the world. The founders always try to get to know the designers and makers of the products that they curate. Ziraffe aims to promote sustainability and ethical practice and believes that all of us should strive to empower our youth to do the same. Because of the care and consideration that goes into picking the items that are sold, you know when you purchase items from them that the footprint used to make them is minimal and always from a environmentally-conscious lens.

I hope you get to take a peek at their website. I am falling more and in love with this company each day. I look forward to showing you guys more from them in the future.