A short drive south of Saratoga Springs is the charming, historic village of Ballston Spa. Ballston Spa has a walkable downtown area filled with restaurants, coffee shops, antique stores and boutiques. I had heard great things about one store in particular and went to check it out. The store is called Nourish and it sells all types of quality apparel and gift items. Every purchase at Nourish provides funding for meals for kids in need. Their tag line is "Gifts That Give Back".
Almost all of the merchandise in the store features hand-drawn mandala designs created by owner Betsy Seplowitz. Each design is an original, hand-drawn design. As explained in an informational brochure, Betsy does not use stencils or sketch out her designs in advance, but lets the patterns develop as she draws. She does not erase or correct, just transforms the lines into patterns and patterns into the mandalas. The designs are unique and beautiful and there are many different designs to choose from.
They sell a selection of t-shirts and sweatshirts in adult and children's sizes. You can also find baby clothes with the mandala designs. There is a variety of other gift items including tote bags, water bottles and coffee cups, color in mandalas and other art supplies, and many other gift items all with the Nourish touch.
The great thing about buying anything at Nourish is that you can "Nourish Yourself While Nourishing Others". Betsy told me that Nourish works with Regional Food Banks that coordinate programs to provide nourishing meals at home for children ages 5-18 who live in food-insecure households. A "food insecure household" means a home where the kids do not consistently have access to enough nutritionally adequate food. By purchasing product from Nourish, you are supporting the Regional Food Banks efforts to serve even more kids. It lifts your soul to know you are providing help to kids in need.
The tag on each items tells you how many meals are being provided with your purchase. For instance, the purchase of this water bottle provided 14 meals for kids in need. There is a sign in the store that keeps a running total of meals provided by the store. The day I was there the tally was 126,600!
With Christmas fast approaching, go check out Nourish and help others while finding amazing gifts for all those on your list! You can visit their store or shop on-line at NourishDesigns.com.
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