We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Brittney Traudt. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Brittney below.
Hi Brittney, you’ve got such an interesting story, but before we jump into that, let’s first talk about a topic near and dear to us – generosity. We think success, happiness and wellbeing depends on authentic generosity and empathy and so we’d love to hear about how you become such a generous person – where do you think your generosity comes from?
I feel like, in a way, I was born with it. Of course my parents and family always taught me to be nice to others, to help whenever and however I can, and encouraged me to follow my dreams. I always felt a connection to those who were experiencing homelessness.
When I was a kid, I wrote a story about a young girl who decided to give a bunch of her clothes to a shelter so those in need could have them. In my church growing up, we would do holiday shoebox drives, food pantries, and soup kitchens. My involvement only grew as I got older.
When I was in college I worked as a camp counselor. One of the weeks of camp was a “mission” week. My group got to go to a shelter/program where we sorted donated items as well as food to create bags for those in need. As I continued helping out during summer camps and church programs, many people said they felt like this was my “calling”. It honestly made sense. Something that I’ve always felt connected to or passionate about for a seemingly unknown reason. The only explanation seemed to be that this is what I was being called to do.
One of my classes in college also had a group project, and my group chose college homelessness. We collected almost 10 bags of donated items for a local shelter, and we also held a social experiment where I sat outside as if I was homeless so we could see how people interacted when it was a “kid” instead of a grown adult.
Shortly after I graduated, I moved from Florida to Connecticut. A few years ago, in 2021, I was walking in a Dollar Tree and saw Face and Body Wipes on the shelf. I immediately had a thought that those would be great for shelters or those experiencing homelessness, because oftentimes shampoos, body washes, and conditioners are given. In theory, these are great. However, if you don’t have access to water or are able to shower, they’re nearly useless. These wipes made them accessible with no resources. Thus, my Homeless Care Package Project (HCPP) was born!
Let’s take a small detour – maybe you can share a bit about yourself before we dive back into some of the other questions we had for you?
In my day to day life, I work in Human Resources and Marketing. I am also a self-published children’s book author of the educational, traveling series the Adventures of Shelly & Coco as well as the book It’s okay to be You!
I’ve always been someone who has wanted to do everything. It’s the overachiever in me. Sometimes I find myself taking on too much or wanting to do anything and everything I want, and I have to remind myself that I am only one person.
When I started the HCPP, the first year was so great! I got SO much feedback and involvement that I was truly shocked. My goal was to raise $1500 so I could fill 48 backpacks filled with necessity items. It took me a little over 3 months from start to finish. At the end, I asked my following if this project should become annual. There was a 100% vote for yes! Now 3 years later, I have just wrapped up my 3rd Annual Project!
The most exciting thing to me is getting others involved. I couldn’t possibly fund the project myself, so getting that involvement truly is key. I work in full transparency, so every single cent donated is accounted for and posted in video updates on our Facebook Page and my personal socials. My belief is that transparency and consistent updates allows people to feel more comfortable and confident in giving their hard earned money to me as they know exactly where it’s going.
I only hold this project towards the end of the year, so being able to see who returns each year or who starts following along makes it so special. Knowing that people want to help and believe in this project as much as I do truly warms my heart.
Since we just wrapped this year’s up, I’ve recently posted the recap of that. I also get a lot of comments or messages from people who want to do something like this in their communities. So each year I also post a full item list available to download that notes every single item that goes into our bags!
If you follow along on our Facebook page, you can stay up to date when we kick off the 4th Annual project later this year!
Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?
I think the main one is definitely my organization. When I first “pitched” the idea to my Instagram followers, I came with literal spreadsheets in hand. I seldom do things small. I’m very much a go big or go home type of gal. I came will full spreadsheets that detailed what items to include, how much I thought the total project would cost, and laid out my plan to see if people would be interested. Since then, nothing has changed. I don’t showcase my spreadsheets, but they are there. Every thing donated, purchased, posted, anything relative gets documented. This not only helps keep me focused on the task at hand, but allows me to show that transparency.
Another one I’d say is probably my way of talking with people. I’ve always been a talker, it runs in my family. I’ve been told numerous times that I have ways of explaining things or talking with people that makes it easier to understand or listen to. Not many people are comfortable in front of the camera, and especially in longer length (sometimes 3+ minute) videos. I’d like to think my videos are personable, and friendly. Almost as if someone is on a Facetime call with me. I’d like to think this this allows people to feel comfortable with me and encourages trust. That anyone can say anything on the internet and not mean it, but I do. Because I do.
Lastly, I think what makes this project of mine so impactful is my passion for it. I think that passion rubs off in my posts, videos, and updates. I think people see that I get excited about it, and in turn, it makes them excited for it. When it comes to charitable causes like this, you want people who believe in what they do. You likely wouldn’t want to give your money, time, or effort to a cause if the spokesperson was monotone and unlively, right? I think my personality and passion for this truly brings people in and encourages them to be generous, too.
What is the number one obstacle or challenge you are currently facing and what are you doing to try to resolve or overcome this challenge?
For this project specifically, my biggest obstacle has been finding people experiencing homelessness. I’m sure that probably sounds crazy since we all know they’re everywhere no matter where you go. However, when it comes down to it, I’m sure you’d find it difficult to pick out 48 people.
I have continued to give out my bags to those I see while I’m driving around, but again, I don’t see 48 people. The knowledge of where I could find many people at once is my struggle.
In my 2nd Annual project, I was connected with an individual who is extremely involved in the community. They are someone who actively goes out into the community, finds people, gives them items he collects or has, and has the knowledge I was missing. I was supposed to connect with him for the 3rd Annual project, but things fell through unfortunately.
Luckily, I had found a nearby food pantry as part of a local charity that helps those unhoused or in need. I was able to give a majority of my bags out there to those coming to pick up food! While I was there I was able to speak to some of the volunteers and people who have been running the program for decades. They put me in contact with one of the head guys who also goes out into the community specifically looking for people experiencing homelessness. He tries to find them so he can inform them of the services they offer in case they’re interested. I expressed to them that was precisely that kind of thing I was looking to do, so I was able to get his information.
I’m keeping my fingers crossed that when I do the 4th Annual project later this year, it works out!
Contact Info:
- Website: www.traudtstwocents.com/hcpp3success
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/brittneylee_96
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/cthcpp
- Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/brittneytraudt
- Youtube: www.youtube.com/btraudt416
- Other: Tiktok – www.tiktok.com/@brittneylee_96
