^{This transcript is auto-generated. Please excuse grammatical errors.}

^{Diana Rene: 0:00} 

Hey guys, on today's episode, I have a guest that I have been really excited to bring to, because she is the founder of an organization that I have recommended for almost five years now to members of my decluttering program. Anytime they are looking to get rid of anything in their bathroom, as far as makeup or toiletries that they didn't really use a ton of. This is an organization that will take those items and repurpose them for people who need them. I think that is an incredible mission, and I get to talk to the founder of this organization today. Her name is Julie and the organization's name is Project Beauty Share, and I'm just going to let the interview speak for itself, because she is. She just is incredible, and I'm really excited for you to listen, so let's just jump in. You're listening to the declutter mom podcast, a podcast built specifically for busy moms by a busy mom. I'm your host, diana Renee, and in 2017, I had my second daughter and it felt like I was literally drowning in my home. Okay, not literally, but I felt like I couldn't breathe with all of the stuff surrounding me. Over the next 10 months, I got rid of approximately 70% of our household belongings and I have never looked back. I kind of feel like I hacked the mom system and I'm here to share all the tips, tricks and encouragement. Let's listen to today's show, all right? So welcome to this episode of the declutter mom podcast. Today I have a really exciting guest. Her name is Julie Farley and she is the founder and executive director of an organization called Project Beauty Share, and I'm going to have her expand on exactly what the organization is and what they do in a moment. But they are someone that I found, julie, several years ago and I've been recommending in my program ever since I found you, and I'm just really excited to chat today because I've recommended this organization for so long but I've never actually spoken to you know on the podcast, with anyone from your organization. So can you just share with everyone listening a little bit about who you are and what your mission is at Project Beauty Share?

^{Julie Farley: 2:24} 

Absolutely, and we are just so excited for this collaboration and I'm so glad that it's been going on for a few years. We feel like we're a good fit because we're all about repurposing items and so Project Beauty Share was founded in 2010. I was in the beauty industry for 35 plus years. I was a professional makeup artist. I had a makeup studio and I always wanted to give back to the women that I would see homeless on the streets. But because I was a small business owner, I was working 60 70 hours a week. You know, just couldn't fit it into my time. But I was having a makeup lesson with a woman and she had all this product that was just not age appropriate for her and I told her there's the garbage can just throw it away. And she said why would I do that? I volunteered at organization that where women never received these products, and that was kind of my my first initial aha you know light bulb moment and I was like, well, tell me more. And. And so we had a nice discussion about that, and then it just the light bulb and there's just, the wheel started turning as far as. Okay, I have a lot of women customers. I know a lot of people here in the city, so we started collecting items for just the few organizations that we were connected with there was maybe three or four and then when she came back in to buy some product, I said so what about shampoo and conditioner? Because makeup is one thing and that provides hope and dignity and helps a woman to get back on her feet if she's getting playing for a job. But she says, oh, my heavens, you didn't know that you cannot use food stamps to purchase any of these items. So I didn't know that, yeah, the SNAP, federal Food Stamp Program, does not. You can buy food that's not taxable, but you cannot buy toilet paper, tampons, shampoo, conditioner, oral hygiene all of those products are taxed. Okay, so it was like, well, no, wait a minute. Makeup is one thing, but we need to make sure that these women and their families are clean. Yeah, right, so then we. That's when we decided to collect everything and that mushroomed into 20, 30 agencies here in the Northwest and now we're at over 140 agencies statewide. We also have a national program. We have 15 national partner agencies that we serve, so it just kind of mushroomed into this huge organization and it's such a grassroots effort with not only the people locally but our national donors and people that give to us nationwide. And then the national program is really exciting that we're able to get products from. Let's say, maybelline has 20 pallets to donate. Well, we might take a couple of pallets, but we're going to help them to divert product to some of those other organizations around the country and those are all listed on our website. So we're able to share the love across the country and we really feel like we've created this movement and that's what it's really all about.

^{Diana Rene: 5:31} 

Yeah, I love that. I just I love how it started and how the light bulb went off and how it's blossomed into this beautiful thing that helps just give women the basic things that we take for granted. We don't even think about it and, as you know, I work with women who are decluttering their spaces and that's something that is very difficult for them is to get rid of beauty items or shampoo and conditioner and things like that that they spent money on, that maybe they used once or they never even opened. So can you talk a little bit more about what's acceptable to donate to Project Beauty Share as far as the different types of categories, Right and for the full list.

^{Julie Farley: 6:13} 

our website really pretty much spells it out, so you can definitely go to our website. But, for instance, it is that maybe that shampoo that maybe you use once or twice and you just it didn't agree with your hair, you didn't like how it felt, and so you stick it back in that cabinet, and I'm totally guilty of doing that. I have to go through my items, definitely a few times each year, but you pull it out and you're like, okay, so am I going to throw this away? You know it's going to end up in a landfill or you can donate it, and so I think it gives women joy. You know, like our tagline is, the beauty is in the giving. So women should feel good about donating these products that maybe you would just throw away. But there are families and shelters that would kill for a shampoo that was 75% full. They really would. I mean it's. They are just not picky and we're very, very, very picky. We have a really high factor. And so when products get donated to us, they go through a process. We sanitize everything. But, if it's in a big pump and, like now, most of the beauty products are in airless pumps as long as that's at least 75% full, we can accept it. Okay, you know, things that are in like a tub, that is like a body butter or a skincare item, if the seal is broken and fingers have been in there, we can't accept that. Yeah, you know so we're pretty, pretty picky, but we can refurbish some things, we can't refurbish everything. Another thing I was thinking about this morning before coming on is the hair tools, because that is something that doesn't need to be brand new and so we're all guilty of needing that the latest and greatest flat iron or hairdryer and so they kind of end up piling up in our drawer and so to simplify their lives and to donate that, as long as it's working and we have a great group of volunteers that clean it up, plug it in, make sure that it works, they sanitize the cords, I mean they make these hair tools look like brand new. It's really amazing and for many women that are victims of domestic violence, that's maybe something they're going to leave behind. They might just take their purse. They're lucky if they get their purse, so they're starting over. So hair tools, things like that, are just crucial. The makeup items we all get those prescription beauty boxes, so you can definitely send the new products. Like lip products, anything with a wand cannot be sanitized, so even our eyeliners. They have to be brand new lip liners. But lipsticks Technically back in the day we used to dip them in alcohol and chop them off, but we just don't have the time and the manpower to do that. They have to be brand new. We inspect that and we can sanitize those those eyeshadows, anything like a mineral powder that has like a that doesn't have the seal, that we don't accept those. But you know that. So it's pretty common sense guidelines.

^{Diana Rene: 9:06} 

Okay, and you said you have a full list on your website, so we'll make sure to include that in our show notes also, just to make it easier for everyone to grab that. You are in the. Where are you located?

^{Julie Farley: 9:17} 

again, so we're in the north, we're in the Pacific Northwest, we're in eastern Washington, and so you know the cost of shipping has gone up. There are the flat rate. Boxes are probably the most economical way to for someone to ship through the USPS, I think at $15 or $16 now. There's also another nonprofit called Giveback Box, and if you go to the women's charities then I think they've raised it. It used to be $15, but I think it's maybe $20, but that's for any, I think, up to 70 pounds, you know, then you can they'll give you a shipping label. So basically, you're helping their nonprofits and they do good work as well. Just make sure whatever you're sending is definitely packed Well. Instead of using peanuts, which we all loathe is to use. One way that we are able to get more feminine hygiene products is have women use the pads and just use that as packing material. Oh, that's really good, or the tampons yeah works really well, because feminine hygiene is so expensive now and that's something that we never get enough of. But packing those boxes really tight, maybe taping the pump, putting a little bit of tape on that just to secure it so it doesn't ooze out all over into the box. But I think if you just pack it tight it works really well.

^{Diana Rene: 10:38} 

Okay, awesome and just so. So I'm clear and our listeners are clear. So Project VD shared is not independently distributing these items You're distributing to other organizations that are working with Okay.

^{Julie Farley: 10:52} 

Yes, I'm so glad you asked that. Yes, we are considered. We're not a direct serve, we're a pass through agency. So we're a 501c3 and we vet and we give to other nonprofit agencies. So we're serving women that are homeless, women that are in transition teams, a lot of food banks. We're not just helping homeless, we're also helping food banks for people that are the working poor, which was really important to me. So we're very picky. The other agencies that we give to have to be nonprofits. We feel like we can serve more women and their families by having that model rather than being a direct serve.

^{Diana Rene: 11:28} 

Okay, awesome, and is there anything that right now, you guys are like we just really need this specific type of item.

^{Julie Farley: 11:37} 

Well, just since COVID and I think with the economy and the price and inflation of everything, it's really the personal hygiene items that we really need, although our makeup donations. It's really interesting. The last year and a half we've seen a drop of about 40 to 50% in our donations. During COVID we did get a lot of makeup donations because nobody was wearing makeup. Now we're getting I know we're now we're getting a lot less, so we definitely need everything but the shampoo, conditioner, deodorant, razors, body lotions are really welcomed. Seminine hygiene is definitely a big one and it's interesting. We used to get a lot of perfumes and body sprays and that's something, again, that does not need to be brand new because those are alcohol based. So we do get a lot of perfume donated and some agencies can accept perfumes, some can't. It's because there's alcohol in them. But yeah, the perfumes and body washes are really low on those.

^{Diana Rene: 12:37} 

Okay, that makes sense. If someone is just really inspired and wants to help your organization, but they don't really have products that they can send, are they able to just donate directly monetarily?

^{Julie Farley: 12:51} 

Yes, they can, Definitely. The other thing that we have is an Amazon wish list. So on the Amazon Wishlist, we did a lot of fire relief because there was two major forest fires here within our county which was just devastating. So the Amazon Wishlist really is always updated. They can do that. They can donate, you know, a dollar, five dollars, ten dollars to our donate page. Definitely we got to keep the lights on and we're pretty lean staff, so there's not a huge amount going to employees. It's just that we have a big heart and we have a lot of volunteers and we depend upon those national donations.

^{Diana Rene: 13:28} 

Yeah, absolutely so. As we are speaking right now it is October, but when this comes out it's probably going to be a little bit closer to Christmas. So we here at the Decluttered Bomb we're going to be doing kind of a big push for you guys the week that this comes out on our Instagram. We're going to come out with some content to share what you guys are doing, and I really want anyone this listening here to just consider looking around their home. We talk a lot about bathroom being the first thing, one of the first things that you can declutter, because it tends to not have a ton of sentimental items. It has more items like this, where it's like oh yeah, I spent money on this shampoo and conditioner my hairstylist told me to buy and I hated it after I used it one time. But it costs a lot of money and what do I do with this? So, if you can go through your bathroom and you can just kind of see what you have available and look into this organization and, as I said, we're going to put all the show notes We'll put your Amazon wishlist link in the show notes also, but I would really just love to help you guys going into the holiday season and kind of get a good push into the new year.

^{Julie Farley: 14:37} 

That's amazing, that's really great and that's we do a big holiday gift bag program. So a lot of maybe it's that Bath and Body Works product that you got last Christmas and you're just, you know it's like what do I do with it? I don't like something that smells like that. You know those are great items because those we squirrel those items aside all year long and then at Christmas time we give those out.

^{Diana Rene: 14:59} 

So I love that Awesome. Well, is there anything else we didn't cover today that you just want to make sure that our listeners know?

^{Julie Farley: 15:07} 

I don't think so. I think we pretty much covered it all. You know we are just so fortunate to have this collaboration. We're super excited.

^{Diana Rene: 15:14} 

Yeah, awesome. Well, thank you so much for coming on, julie. It was so much fun talking to you and, like I said, be sure to check out my Instagram. I'll have all the information there this week, as well as everything in our show notes. Thank you so much. I really hope that you enjoyed this interview. We have all of the information that we discussed in the show notes, so their list, that they're commonly looking for donations, all of that, their website. You can find all of that in our show notes and I really hope that, as you are going through your decluttering journey, if you come across these items, I really hope that this is an organization that you will consider as you are going through the process. Thanks for hanging out and listening to the Decluttered Mom Podcast. If you enjoyed this episode, it would mean the world if you could write a review or share this episode with a friend or your Instagram stories. And if you're on Instagram, be sure to follow me at thedeclutteredmom and send me a DM to say hi. I'd love to hear what you thought about today's episode. I hope you'll come back next week and hang out with us again.