One US mum has hit the headlines for feeding thousands of people using coupons.
Yep, big-hearted mum-of-one Lauren Puryear is using ‘extreme couponing’ to reach her goal of feeding 30,000 people by her 30th birthday next September.
Lauren, who is a mental health clinician, set up the organisation For the Love of Others in 2012 to assist people in need. Inspired by her late grandmother’s help-thy-neighbour ethos, she decided to devote a large part of her life to giving others a helping hand.
“So often, we find ourselves complaining about life and taking the little things for granted that we often forget that there are so many people who would love to be in our shoes!” she says. “I want For the Love of Others, LLC to reach the people who simply need a helping hand to help bring them into a better place; a place of happiness and purpose.”
And one way she is helping her community is by providing hungry people with a decent meal.
Initially she had been buying food in bulk from stores like Costco and eBay, but it wasn’t enough. So she hit on the idea of using coupons to obtain extra food.
And boy did it take off, soon she was cutting coupons left and right, and in the process provided meals for not just hundreds, but thousands of people.
“I started couponing for food items like spaghetti, meatballs, and I was able to get the items for free or for little to no money,” she told NJ.com.
“There are coupons in the Sunday paper, or online that you can print... so I collect as many as I can, match them to the store and that is how I am able to get the items for free.”
And just to put into perspective the difference couponing has made, she says she can sometimes feed up to 150 people on just $20.
Thanks to her extreme couponing system, so far she has delivered 5,000 meals, and is well on her goal to hit the 30,000 mark by September.
“It's probably the most exhilarating thing I could ever do in life,” she told NJ.com.
The amazing mum has four degrees and holds a Ph.D.in psychology, and delivers the meals when she’s not working.
“The joy of helping other people does not compare to any other accomplishment in my life. It is very important to teach him to help other people," she said. "The little things we take for granted, the food we throw away every day… and if we just spread a little more love around, the world would be such a better place.”
What a woman!
