How to Donate Homemade Cards & Poetry to Hospitals

Create your own card or poem to inspire the ill.

It can be very difficult for patients to be in a hospital away from their family and friends. Not only are they facing an illness, but they are also facing it away from the comfort of their home. In these situations, a little cheer and hope can go a long way. Creating homemade cards and poems shows patients that others are thinking of them and genuinely care about their needs.

Things You'll Need

• Box or rubber band

Instructions

1. Inspect the homemade cards and poetry if you did not create them yourself. Hospitals will not accept any cards that were produced in a home of smokers. Cards with glitter should also be removed.

2. Separate the cards into age groups and genders. You may have a pile for young girls, young boys, adult women, adult men, elderly women and elderly men. Place each pile in its own box or wrap it with a rubber band.

3. Call the hospital to which you wish to donate the homemade cards and poems. Ask the operator about the hospital's policy regarding card donations. Find out if you can deliver the cards yourself, or if you must leave them at the front desk for a hospital staff member to distribute.

4. Make arrangements with the operator for the specific day and time you can drop off the cards and poems. This may be during visitor hours if you are allowed to hand the cards out yourself, or it may be anytime the hospital is open if the hospital is going to distribute the cards.

Tips & Warnings

• Some hospitals encourage the use of scripture in homemade cards and poems, and others do not. Check with the hospital before creating the cards to find out if this would be a problem. For children with serious conditions, go for humor. These kids still have a child's sense of humor. Ask your children if a card is really funny.

• According to UC San Diego Health System, you should not use the phrase "Get Well Soon" on your homemade card. Not all patients are going to get better. "Thinking of You" is a more appropriate phrase.

References

• My Expression: Inspirational Greeting Card Etiquette for Sick Children
• UC San Diego Health System: Donations Needed: Goodies from the Heart
• Love Letters: Guidelines