Note about the Towels

There was a HUGE difference in quality between the towels ordered from Towel Emporium in 2011 and 2012.

In 2011, the white towels we ordered were backordered, and we were offered vanilla towels of the same style as a substitute. They were very nice.

In 2012, we ordered the "Premium White" 12 pack that were 2.3 lbs/dz. The quality difference was so huge that I actually called to see if there had been some sort of mistake in shipping. No - I was shipped the correct item, but then she explained to me the difference between the towels that I got last year and this year.  Today when I inquired, I was told that the vanilla towels from 2011 were probably around 2.5 lbs/dz.

The vanilla ones I got in 2011 were some towels that had been around for a long time and they were trying to get rid of them so they offered them to me instead of the white ones that were backordered - they'd been made a few years prior, and the quality was just better.

 It was very helpful to know this, and I think we need to get better quality towels next time - 2.5 lbs/dz or higher.

Towels

The big ticket item came today - 300 hand towels on my doorstep!  My friend A. has offered to wash and dry them ALL!  Thank you - what an angel!  The towels will not be fully absorbent until after they are washed and dried, and many of the people these are going to help won't have the ability to do that.  This is an important part of preparing the towels.  We purchased the towels from towelemporium.com and got the 12 packs of 14" x 16" premium white, 2.3 lbs/dz.

In the future, I want to order towels that are 2.5 lbs/dz or higher quality.  CLICK HERE to see my post for the reason why.

Washing 348 Towels

When I spoke to the woman from the towel company and explained what they were for, she advised me that the towels would all need to be washed.  The towels are vacuum packed so that they can be compact for shipping, and they are not fully absorbent until they are washed and dried.  Since our kits will be going to people who are unlikely to be able to wash and dry the towels properly, this became an additional step to take to prepare the kits. 

So I sent out an email and the towels were divided among 5 of my friends.  They each washed, dried, and FOLDED these towels BEAUTIFULLY and with care, and returned them to me.  As I thanked one of my friends for how nice the towels looked when she returned them to me she said, "As I was folding the towels I thought - this really is a true act of service because I HATE FOLDING LAUNDRY!"  She said it with a twinkle in her eye, and a beautiful laugh and smile that made me want to cry with gratitude.  Thank you to J.&W., B.&T., E.&C., K., and A. for how quickly and willingly you accepted the task of preparing these towels to bless those who will receive them!

The Miracle of the Towels

Last time I posted I was waiting for my shipment of towels.  They were back ordered and I was told by the company that they would probably be shipped to me the first week in March.  I still hadn't received a shipping email by then, so I called them again.  The woman I spoke to said that she had been working there for 6 years and she had never seen a problem like this where they just weren't getting the towels from their suppliers.  The reason was because these suppliers were having trouble buying the cotton so that they could make the towels.  Since the summer the price of cotton has doubled.  There was "flooding in Pakistan and bad weather in China and India" that depleted cotton crops.  You can read an article from the NY Times about it HERE . 

She said they still didn't have the towels I ordered and I explained how I needed them for this project.  Then she asked if they had to be white, and I told her that it didn't matter what color they were.  She said she'd call me back.  A few minutes later she called back saying they could send all the towels I needed in a vanilla color, and for the same price we paid for the white towels.  (The only reason we ordered white was because they cost less than the others.)  They shipped them on Friday and they were at my house on Tuesday!  We paid $7.88 for a dozen towels (when we purchased them in the first week of February), and they are now $18 for a dozen.  Because of the generosity of those who donated, we were able to order the towels in bulk for an incredible price, and I now have 29 dozen towels in my possession that will help to complete these kits!

I see this as a miracle that God brought to pass so that these kits can get to those who need them - especially with the devastating earthquake that just happened in Japan.