You’ve been running all day, and the last thing you want to think about is what to feed your kids for dinner. What can you do?
Parents throughout Dallas can flip through the Simply Kidstuff Coupon book and find a place where your kids eat free.
Created by neighborhood residents Gina Hamada and Dona Bush, the Simply Kidstuff Coupons & Resource Guide for Families aims to connect busy parents with local businesses.
Hamada and Bush formulated the idea for the book five years ago. When they began looking for local advertising, their main purpose was to include kid-friendly establishments. But they didn’t stop there. In addition to the many money-saving coupons, the book features a calendar, a spill-proof cover and parenting ideas.
“Dona and I both love to save money, but once we started the coupon idea, we saw that the book could be so much more. There’s really something for everybody,” Hamada says.
The book divides its coupons into product categories such as “Baby and Maternity Stuff,” “Stuff to Eat,” and “Family Fun Stuff.” Following the coupons is a special section listing regular offerings by local businesses that are “Simply Great Deals.” This section allows rushed parents to find a restaurant where kids eat free or a venue with family-focused entertainment.
The next section, “Simply Helping the Community,” lists many charitable options for families with young children. Hamada says this section is helpful to parents who want to serve the community, but aren’t sure what options are available.
“I really like the community section because it is so practical. We not only provide contact information, we also give parents several ideas for service projects you can do at home,” Hamada says. “You always know about these charities, but it’s not easy to volunteer at a shelter, for instance, if you have kids to care for.”
One suggestion for assisting lower-income children, for example, says “On your child’s next birthday, in lieu of gifts, request that everyone bring a new book, Spanish or English, and let the birthday child assist in delivering the books to the Parkland Foundation.”
The book is attractive enough for gift-giving, and it sprinkles small encouragements for parents throughout its pages.
Simply Kidstuff will be sold as a fundraiser for local schools and organizations, and the group hopes to provide the book to hospitals, relocation offices, doctor offices and retail organizations desiring to give the proceeds to specific charities. Fundraising groups and charities can earn anywhere from $5-11 per book sold, the women say.
Both Hamada and Bush have career backgrounds that contributed to their success with the coupon book. Hamada worked in sales and marketing, while Bush was a high school teacher and currently owns a monogramming business.
“We are really proud of the fact that everybody wins with Simply Kidstuff. Kid-friendly establishments get business, parents get tons of benefits, and organizations raise money.”
For information about including Simply Kidstuff in your fundraiser, or for advertising information, call 214-233-3032.
