Local women donate their coupon hauls to charity

For Sandi Williams, a Cape Girardeau mom of four, using coupons for food, baby wipes and diapers is just common sense. It makes just as much sense to share her bounty with others.

"I was finding that some items I was actually getting for free," she says. "So I decided to take my own coupons to the next level, searching for coupons and deals that actually got me the items for free or a very reduced price. They might not have been items I would use, but that others could benefit from."

Williams spends a few hours a week collecting coupons from newspapers, magazines and product containers, as well as store websites and online coupon sites. She donates the goods to charities like food banks, Backpacks for Friday, the Safe House for Women, Toys for Tots and Birthright. She says she will probably step up her efforts in time to help charities with their Christmas needs.

"There may not always be a coupon for an item, but some stores have 'buy one, get one free,' so that is a deal to me," says Williams. "We have always given monetary donations to local schools, charities and churches and will continue to do so, but being able to bring a full bag of snacks that I have gotten for free is an awesome feeling."

Amy Woodall of Whitewater, Mo., says most couponers donate, and it's something she encourages on her "Blessings 'N Couponing" blog and Facebook page.

"I try to post opportunities for (my followers) to donate," she says. Many of them are filling Operation Christmas Child boxes to send overseas, while others, including Woodall herself, are using coupons to buy toys for the local Toybox program.

"One thing I posted about was that donating is not just giving to the programs and food pantry, but also to that elderly neighbor or the family that is having financial issues," Woodall adds.

After Amy Ledbetter and her husband Steve opened two drug recovery houses in Cape Girardeau, she began using coupons to provide supplies for the residents. Throughout the year, she gathers body washes, deodorant, toothpaste, toothbrushes, razors, candy -- anything she can get at a reasonable price, she says. Her co-workers also donate clothing, sheets and other items that can be used in the homes.

"I make Christmas boxes for people living at the houses, and also throughout the year for people who move in and have nothing," says Ledbetter. "What broke my heart was two years ago when I gave someone a shoe box full of shampoo and deodorant. He said it was the first Christmas present he'd had in 15 years, and it wasn't anything other than normal hygiene stuff that most people always have around. I wanted to help people that unfortunately get into drugs, lose their family and lose everything. A lot of times they move in with nothing but the clothes on their back."

Ledbetter spends four to five hours a week going through the newspapers and online ads to compare sales and figure out which stores will take which coupons.

"This is our gift to them," she says. "There's a lot of work to it, but I'm on a mission. I've got it written down."

And for Ledbetter, couponing is not about the thrill of the hunt or buying something for a cheap price.

"I think it's a wonderful feeling to give to somebody, and that's my only reward in all of it," she says. "My reward is to see somebody get a box and have tears in their eyes."