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Think about how much money you spend on a birthday gift for a friend. Maybe twenty, fifty dollars or more? Now, imagine if a friend asked that instead of buying gifts or paying for a night out, you pool the funds you would have spent and donate it to a good cause. With every person at the party pitching in, the contributions add up fast! We talked with Amanda Erickson who explained how she donated her birthday to Community Warehouse.

How did you first hear about Community Warehouse?

I heard about it on Facebook! From a dear friend who is a regular donor instantly, I thought that Community Warehouse sounded like a great idea and a great program.

 What gave you the idea for this unique way to donate? Leave it to Facebook to throw a few things at the wall and see what sticks. When my birthday came around (is there anyplace Facebook shines brighter than on your birthday?) I had a pop-up on my wall, maybe a week before my birthday, that I could “donate my birthday” to a cause. When I looked into where I could donate funds and saw that Community Warehouse was on the list, I figured, “Why not?”

Why did you choose to donate to Community Warehouse instead of any number of other great local organizations?

I really feel that the mission of the Warehouse is just great. I work with residential homeowners to do remodels, additions, and space planning, so often my clients have too much stuff in their homes! We all, over time, can end up with too much stuff. Kids grow out of stuff, we get gifts that we maybe don’t need, we upgrade new items and keep the old, we combine households and are overwhelmed. In general, we are a society that has too much and redirecting that to others in need (and keeping things out of landfills) is a net good. I chose this organization because I feel like among my friends, neighbors, colleagues and family on Facebook, the mission of Community Warehouse is very relevant!

Some of our readers might not know exactly what it means to donate one’s birthday. Can you explain a bit?

About a week or so before my birthday, the option to “donate your birthday” came up on Facebook. I followed the screens and was able to designate a recipient. My Facebook network was able to see this promotion and a handful of very sweet friends and family did donate to the cause! It was really heartening.

Why, in your opinion, is donating to local organizations important?

We support both local and national organizations, but lately I have been focusing a lot closer to home. I feel like investing in your local community where you see the need and can respond directly – it feels very positive.

Do you have any advice or thoughts for someone who might consider donating their birthday?

Give it a try! Find something important to you that you also think would resonate with your local community and see how it goes. Any small amount helps!

Finally, what’s the best/one of the best birthday presents you ever received? Anything my daughter makes or finds is always the best!

Amanda Erickson lives in SE Portland and is the owner and “chief space-maker” at PDX Additions, LLC