If You See a Need, Take the Lead in the Community with Brandi Bravado - PINNED Podcast: Episode 32
If 2020 has taught us anything, it has to be that we are all in this together. We must help those who need help in order for all of us to rise - join me as I speak to Brandi Bravado on her community service and how it has impacted her family.
Want to make a shout out on the next video? Text to 1-833-4A-PINUP Insta: @pinnedpodcastofficial _________________ About Brandi Bravado Published pinup with a fascination for cars. At the age of 17 she received the highest score in Miami Dade County, a trophy and certificate of completion for Automotive Repair and Refinishing. with her car mechanical skills, she learned a lot about handy home repair work from her dad too. She is also featured in the 2021 PINNED Calendar! Volunteer Opportunities www.camillus.org www.covensnthousefl.org www.samaritanspurse.org
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Instagram: @brandi_bravado
Episode Transcript
Miss Pinup Miami 0:05
Hello, and welcome back to the pin podcast. We're in Episode Number 32. And the pin podcast is a place where we talk about modern topics with a vintage flair. I'm your host Pinup Miami and you could follow me on Instagram at Pinup Miami or my youtube Pinup Miami where you could also watch the podcast the pin podcast, or follow the pin podcast on Instagram at the pin podcast official to hear about guest news and to send me a message if there's somebody you want on the show or any topics you want to cover. You could also send a text at 1833 for a pin up. And I will answer back any questions that you have could be product category related vintage related pinup related anything your little heart desires. If you're listening for the first time, I want to say thank you for clicking, I hope that you stay and enjoy the content that we have on here. And if you're a returning listener, I want to say thank you so much. You mean the world to me, this podcast would not be possible without you. And I appreciate it. And if you want to help out, make sure to leave a COMMENT, LIKE subscribe if you're listening on Apple podcasts or Spotify or any podcasting station rate my podcast a five. And if you want to put your Instagram handle on there, so I know that it's you. Now today's guest is Brandy gatos, she is also known as brandy bravado, her Instagram is Brandy underscore bravado, also put her info down below. I asked her to be on the show today, because she's always giving back to the community in ways that you know, it's so easy that people just don't do. And I feel like that's missing out. She's also a pinup model she's published. She's been in my pinup contests. And I've seen her evolve and so many things. And she's beautiful inside and out. So welcome brandy, how are you? Thank you so much, then I'm actually doing quite well. Um, like you were saying, giving back to the community is one of the best things that for me, I can do. I'm just paying, paying it forward is the best thing we can do. It could be from something as small as making sandwiches to distributing hydrojet the hygiene things that people need anything, any type of service any little bit helps. And last year, I was able to do a little not as much as I would have liked to. Because of the pandemic, there was a lot of a lot of people staying home a lot of social distancing. And with respect, you know, we have to respect what those guidelines are. But I had my niece call me and we were able to go out and feed the homeless. So she called me and she was like, hey, do I want to go out and I want to feed the homeless. I don't know where it was, like, I know exactly where. So we went ahead, she had a whole bunch of donated food, I added to the donated food and we went out and the funny thing was, is that this is not something that I've just been doing since last year. This is something that I've done whenever I possibly can, um, I had another situation where there's a certain store that if they sell the majority of the most recent pieces, mind you I'm on a on a diet, but trying they're trying to sell the most Reese's Pieces and the number one store everybody gets a $50 bonus which I think is ideal, because right not everybody needs that money. So it was like Okay, so I went ahead and I bought 20 Reese's Pieces Butter Cups and I'm thinking I have no idea what I'm going to do with this because I'm not going to eat this. So I ended up just giving it away but the whole concept is is paying it forward. And a lot of people need to know that there are people who are naturally out there to give back you know is not because I deem anything in return for it is just that it makes me feel good as a person as a humanitarian to go out there and do for others. That's just like we had the bingo. Yeah. At the nursing home what was it a hospice or nursing home now? Yeah, it was two years ago now one year ago yeah, the Christmas and you were like hey, we're gonna as rewards shampoo and conditioner. I was like, Oh my gosh, yes. And I just like ran to the store and just started getting big bottles of everything. And I also coupon and I bargain shop so then there's things that are like six $7 and I just by chance get it for $1 or two or even free cuz there's reward books or whatever. And it's like endless do this. Let's
Unknown Speaker 4:56
do this. Let's
Brandi Bravado 4:56
Let's go for it. And awesome. I know a lot of people That coupon but yet they sell their stuff. And I love that you give it back to people. Because it's also like a team effort. Because if the person on the I know, some people think that they're just in the corner of the street, but if you help them out, I'm sure they're willing to help other people. And it's just a chain of effect. What is it? Yeah, yeah. It's a random act of kindness. Yes. And it has that effect. And your children and your nieces. They all get involved. I mean, they message you.
Unknown Speaker 5:26
Yes, yes. Yes. They'll
Brandi Bravado 5:28
actually be like, Hey, you know, let's go and do that. And I'll be like, Yeah, let's go. And it doesn't matter. It was funny that day, I was like, ready to go to the laundromat? Just like, the laundry? Gosh, you know, the laundry will always be there for you. Yeah, always. And when she called, I was like, yeah, let's just put this aside, let's go. And we just went out there. And it was good, because we even I love animals. So there was this guy who was homeless, and he had an animal. And we were like, here, he needs a bottle of water. And he needs this too. And for a short segment of the time I was out there, I put it on my life. Now, I don't say those things. Because I don't feel the need to be rewarded for those things. I just feel that people should know that you don't need to be a part of a nonprofit organization. If you decide to assist with a nonprofit organization. That's great. But we as people could just go out there and do it, you know, just go out there. Go to the sites where there are people that are homeless or people who are in need, even the elderly, they need. They need that time. And they need that attention. Sometimes they're left in group homes. And in my midday, we have so many group homes, we have so many adult living facilities where people are just left there, and they're not, you know, deemed as part of society anymore, in a sense, their own family. Exactly, exactly. That was like that guy that we went to see. And his wife had called us over. And he was like, Oh my god, you guys are so beautiful. And I started crying. And it was so funny, because Bibi was like No, and she just like ran out because she didn't want to start crying. And I was trying to hold it in. And it was just like, just that was like, big to him. And it was it didn't cost anything but time. Yeah, I'm an energy. So it's just like those things. And I know that I was speaking with Bernadette, who was saying we were gonna do more things. Yes, you know, this year comes along and picks out Florida. She's, she's gonna take more hold of it. And she's gonna really make it more community based. And I told her to work with you. Because I know that you're always willing, like you said, it's so important. You don't need to be part of anything. But if people need an excuse, we're gonna give an excuse for them to want to be involved because it really does help everyone together, like in a cycle. And I want to ask you a question. Um, I saw on tik tok, I believe we talked about this before, that there was a girl that quit her job because she worked at Bath and Body, I get bath and Bodyworks in Bath Bed Bath and Beyond confused, but bath and Bodyworks the lotions. And she told her well, she had homeless people in the back of the, you know, dumpster diving for lotions and stuff. And her boss. Well, she was like, Okay, I'm all over the place here. She works there. And she noticed that all the homeless people would, you know, jump in the garden and get the lotions and shampoos when they were throwing it away or returns. And then she told her boss, why don't we just give it to them. And her boss is like, well, from now on, we're just gonna pour them out because we don't want our brand associated with homelessness. And I mean, they're gonna throw it away. Either way. She didn't have to be rude. She She quit the next day because she didn't feel right. How do you feel about companies that throw away? I mean, I didn't even think about it until I saw that Tick Tock that there's companies that throw away so much stuff that could be used by other people.
I mean, well, that's the problem. Society has gone into, I want to sue you. lawsuit lawsuit lawsuit. So there's a lot of companies like Speedway who they make good food, they make hoagies. They make gas at the gas station. And one day I was going in at seven, and they were throwing away all this food made that day. And I was like, Hey, is there any way possible? I can get that because I know somewhere in Hollywood beach, there's a whole bunch of homeless people. And I could just go over there and give it to them. And they're like, No, we can't do that. And the lady even called her supervisor and they weren't allowed to do that. What I learned later on found out in the food industry is that it's a legal liability because if they get sick off the food, they can sue you But, I mean, I guess that's with anything, I guess if they took the lotion that was in the garbage, and they got an infection, or they had an open wound and, and infect them some way that it's a liability for the company itself. Now, I think that there should be a happy medium, where if they find something that it was just the seal was broken, or, you know, the food was made, and it was made that day, if there's a waiver, that we could like sign, so that we could give that away, is just like, letting these people know, hey, look, we're doing this in kindness. You know, this is not for you to seek restitution or vengeance or whatever. Because a lot of people want to help. And I feel really bad that the, I'm sure the lady at bath and Bodyworks, you know, she had the great idea, it is a great concept, it is the right way to go about it. And the other one saying it equates to homelessness is not necessarily because we're all human. I mean, there's people. And this is just to go to show just because people are homeless do not mean that they do not have money. There's a lot that have mental illnesses out there, and they're actually rich, they have a guardianship, they own millions of dollars, they own houses, they own property, they hold a lot of things, but because they have a mental illness, they find themselves on the street. So it doesn't meet necessarily mean that those that you see on the street don't have it is just that they're not there. They're not in their right mind. And in a guess, when a lot of people see homeless people, they're like, Oh, well, they're dirty, oh, they don't want to do anything with their lives. And it's, that's just not necessarily the case. At some point, they've lost hope in something, or something dramatic has happened, they lost somebody in their family. And it can happen to any of us, like our mental health is really important. And then it just goes, and we just have to show kindness. So I mean, I guess we're companies in that, you know, like food companies and not if there was a waiver, we can have, you know, halal, this is just, we're giving you this food, just sign this waiver, you know, that we're not doing. We're not doing this in harm. We're doing this because we can't, then I think that a lot of companies would be willing to move forward, but it has a lot of legalities. And up near bread gave their food away at the end of the day. I don't know. I know that Publix Publix donates. Um, I heard on Tuesdays, they donate to certain charities, nonprofits, like from the bakery, they'll donate the bread, they'll donate the doughnuts, the, you know, are infamous. Why Yeah, by gay so illegals. You know, if you're in Miami, you gotta have one, you just gotta have one and cook it. So I mean, there are certain organizations that are playing it forward. But there's a lot that are scared because of the liability that comes with it. And you're right. Yeah, they shouldn't. And it's all about education. Because you saying that it makes sense. hearing it and being because everyone is so happy. I could see why somebody would hesitate. So I have another question for you that I that I wanted to know, your opinion on is when you go to the grocery store, or Target or anywhere and you check out? Um, they always ask, well, not always, but sometimes they ask you, oh, would you like to donate to this organization like $1 or whatever? Now, do you feel like that donation is just a way for the companies to look good? Or because when they get the donations at the end of the day, it's donated by target, and then they get like a tax break?
That is true. That is true. There are certain nonprofit organizations that have to take care of their staff prior to actually taking care of the need of the actual, the reason why the organization is done. Um, I think it's, it has a lot to do with researching and seeing what percentage is actually going and is that percentage being? I wonder if that's public, is it? Yeah, it is public record. There was actually a gentleman that I met in the Walmart parking lot, that's called hefa. Like a female cow, heifer. And what they do is they go to third world countries and you're donating money like $25 a month, for a year. And that money is given so that they could buy them chickens, goats and cows. And it's because they utilize it, they they take it, they have the animal procreate, so they have their eggs, they have their chicken and it continues and it helps them. It helps them It helps their neighbors, just that one time solution. No, there's not. I like that. So I mean, I find myself running into these these organizations like, Yeah, let's do this. Like, yeah, let's go out there. Like, one, one of my ideals is my youngest one, in nine years, will be a young adult. And I was telling my boyfriend, I want to go to Africa, there's actually a place for elephants, that their mothers are killed for their ivory. Oh, and they actually have to bring the baby elephant up. They have to like, rehabilitate them, because they go into a depression. So they rehabilitate them. And then they send them out back into the wild. So there's like, there's things of that nature that you'll see. There's a I forgot the name of it. It was an organization I used to give to. There was all there's also the shoe box. I don't know if you've ever seen the shoe box. Yeah, they send it to the army, the shoe box. No, they actually said they give you a shoe box, right. And I think you pay $14. You put toys and everything for kids, it's for kids, and it's your Christmas time. Oh, and then what they do is they get all these boxes, and then they send them to children and families in third world countries. And you can even write to them. Sometimes they'll write back to you, like, oh, thank you for this T shirt. Thank you for these crayons in this coloring book. So I even started doing that with my kids. Like, for Christmas, there's no gifts, like, that's so commercialized for us in the United States that I needed my kids to know that, you know, there's people who don't have Christmas that don't have what you have coloring books, crayons, markers, um, little bracelets for girls. So I said, Okay, this is what we're gonna do. This year, you guys get a shoe box each. And what we're gonna do is you're gonna fill this with toys. And you're going to pick, whether it's a boy or girl, they have three age groups, we're going to check it off, we're going to put the $14 for each box, and we're going to send it off. And so I've been doing that with my kids as well, my job, actually, a lady on my job does that as well. So it's like I said, there's, there's just little things you can do, you can either do it with an organization, or you could do it on your own. And I love that because then your kids learn, you know that you have a, there's certain people that don't have the lifestyle you have. And if you could give back, you might as you know, give back, because they're gonna appreciate those crayons that you're taking for granted. They're gonna appreciate those toys that you're just gonna have in the show, you know? Oh, that's really nice. Yeah, and I mean,
I'm happy that I'm able to give to my kids. But I think sometimes children these in this day and age, because we try to improve for them, you know, so that they have a better life and well being, they become sheltered. And then they fail to realize the struggle that we went through at a young age, and they they lose what it is, like, I remember having crowns. And like it, if it was wearing down, we tore off the packer and we sharpen them, we used it until it was like enough. Same thing with pencils, we use it until it was a knob. Because we valued the things we had. Now, I'm not saying all children don't do that. But I think that they fail to read they, they fail to see that because they're being provided for. And that's a great thing. But sometimes we have to bring it back so that they understand, hey, look you're being provided for but there's a lot of people that do not have. There's a lot of people that need, there's some there's a lot of people that will value the things and it was funny because this Christmas, we didn't get to do the shoe box event. But my daughter, I had given her a $10 sitting fee, because I had a job that I was doing. And I was like okay, so every time you come to this job, you sit down, I'm gonna give you $10
Unknown Speaker 19:23
so she did that.
Brandi Bravado 19:25
And then she had her money. And the first thing she said, we went to the store and I said, Okay, well now you have your money. Let's show you some responsibility. If you want this is how much you have. This is how much it is. So she was like, well, Mom, you know what I want to buy from my cousin Christmas this year. And she went ahead and she went and because they love Minecraft, she went and bought her cousin something for Christmas. So as opposed to her thinking about herself. It was like, hey, look, I need to think about this person. I need to do something for somebody else. And she felt great and then it was funny is The following week she was with her dad. And I was like, Oh, well, I'll take it to your cousin. And she's like, No, no, no, I'm gonna take it. Like, okay, so you know, it's just like showing that effect, so that my kids can start doing that as well. And that must have made me so proud as a parent, when she said, Oh, no, no, I want to give my cousin something. It is it is. Even with my oldest son, he works in home goods. And he was telling me he had helped this elderly lady take all her stuff to the car. Now, naturally, I'm not sure if they always do that or not. But I guess he seen that she was in a bit of distress, and he took it. And he goes, you know, mom, she said, Tell your mom, I said, Thank you for making a for raising a gentleman like you. And I was like, Yes, this is what? Yes, you know, I was like, This is my reward. This is what my hard work does. This is my reward, you know, just that my kids are playing it for it. So it's just, it's a domino effect. Yeah, those people are, hopefully pay it forward. Yeah. And it just keeps going. And that's why we should never even especially now during like, COVID, a lot of people have lost their jobs, they don't have money to pay the bills are struggling. I know a couple people, you know, that can't even pay their their later house bills, and they're just getting like loans. So we don't know the situation that everyone is going through. So the best way is, I think number one is to be kind to everyone. Yes. Because you never know the story that somebody else is going through is to appreciate what you have. And just because you have something doesn't mean you should assume somebody else has it. And I think that's something that we forget, and hopefully 2020 out of what they out of 2020 I hope we've shown an appreciation for our neighbors meaning like the people around us know, that's like also people in the restaurant business. A lot of people are not aware that what you give them in tips through your card is tax deductible is tax are deducted from that. So you may give them a $5 tip, and they're not seeing the whole $5. So I make sure that when I go out to a restaurant, if I have cash, even if it's just for that person, like I have the cash for that person, and then I'll pay the rest on the court, because it's something that's needed. Now is when every penny counts, because that's part of their pay. That's why they get even below minimum, well, there is a minimum wage for waitressing, but it's way below the normal minimum wage. And they live off the tips like all the other service industries. Um, so if you get that deduction on top of tax, and then you get those rude people that think that just because your meal is late, it was probably not the waiter, you know, why are you going to punish them? So it's, it's, you have to take consideration of others. Exactly. Oh, there was a the Denny's off of this king and 36. They, they went through the pandemic, and there was a lady who helped me out. You know, she was my server there. I went out with my cousin to eat. And then she was like, Oh, well, they're closing us down again. And my heart went out to her like, they're closing you down. Again, if they're closing you down again, that means you don't you don't have to take care of you and your family. So telling my cousin like, you know, dude, right. And he's like, Yeah, I know. Go ahead. I know how you are going. So you know, I, instead of the 1815 or 25%, we gave, I gave a certain amount that was more than that. And it was just because I understand like, she has kids. She's a mom, I have kids, I have a mom. Just because I'm fortunate that I have my job doesn't mean that I can't help somebody else. Because one day, it could be me. It just could be me. So I you know, when I see certain things like that, it's just like, Hey here, and it's like, you're just like sliding. It's just there. Like why are you like Why not? Yeah, people get surprised when you're nice, you know? Yeah. So what do you have any plans for?
Any community service plans? Are you just how do you okay? You I know your niece messaged you last time that you went out. You don't really record anything live. I call you on that live because it was I forgot what day it was. I was home and I saw a pop up Brandi is live on Instagram. But how do you decide or do you have a set schedule? So you have something for Christmas for your kids that you guys do together? Um, or is it just like every other weekend or whenever you find an excess of stuff that you have and that you decide to cook something and bring it out? How does that go? It's just It could be anything if I see somebody who needs something. I'll just go ahead and take it. If I go on my coupon excursion, I'll just be like, hey, look, I got extra stuff. You know, I'm with the whole pandemic, just to make a haha about it. You know, we lost, we ran out of toilet paper. At one point, we ran out of toilet paper.
Unknown Speaker 25:23
That was a big deal.
Brandi Bravado 25:25
All right, so I found myself Oh my, geez, I have no more toilet paper. And it just so happened that I had the extra bucks there. So I got me like an 18 pack of cotton now, that's like $16 per 56 cents. And I'm like, yeah. So like, um, if somebody's like, hey, look, you know, I'm just listening to somebody homeboy. You know, supposed to buy some shampoo or forget some ice and body wash? Or Yeah, I needed some deodorant, but I just couldn't get to it right now. She's like, hey, yeah.
Hey, here, or, you know, Oh, I got this year. And I literally
it's funny because I have a little crate in my car, where I have a detergent and fabric softener. Like I said, laundry never. You will never be left alone by laundry. Laundry is more reliable than men, apparently. Right? You know, you're always gonna need it. It'll always be there for you. Right? So, um, I forgot who had asked me I was like, oh, man, I don't have no laundry. So.
So like, Okay, I got this. And they're like, What do you mean, you got this, like, open the thing? And I'm like, oh, which one you want? You
Unknown Speaker 26:42
want? You want? Oh,
Brandi Bravado 26:45
you're prepared? Look, we got some fabric softener here. You know, we can make this happen. Do you want some aceto? Or do you want, um, snuggles?
Unknown Speaker 26:56
And they're like,
Brandi Bravado 26:57
what are you doing? I don't even need to worry about that. If you need it. Here it is. Yeah. So. And that's, that's basically it. I mean, that, for me is more fulfilling than anything. He saw. I'm assuming you believe in karma. Like, you feel like your life is happier since you're giving back? Oh, yes. Yes, yes. That's actually it's fulfilling for me. It really is like when you caught that live, and we went out there. We were literally out there we did. We did 100 and something sandwiches with no more than 28 $29. We made all those sandwiches. And we added water and whatnot. And we were done in a half an hour. Then when I got back. my niece's mom was like, you guys are done. You got rid of all of it. And I'm like, yeah. There was a lot of people there. And it was like probably a four block radius around Jackson hospital. And they were there and they have their little tents. They actually have a neighborhood of tents. And they, they they were out there. And we just went ahead and we just Hey, you know, my nephew was really bold about it. And I love him to death about that. Are you hungry? And he's like, yeah, and he didn't want us to go by ourselves. So he's like, yeah, you know, we're gonna go and he started giving out Hey, man, hey, come over here, come over here, you hungry. And it was just, I loved it. I just loved it. Because they were shown by me and their mom doing that. When we were in their church, we used to give out boxes of food. And it was with a local pantry. So we would get out boxes of food to people who needed food that were neat. And I was like, hey, just come on over. You. This is your box, we just want you to fill out this paper for the boundary because they want to keep a law, I guess the legalities of it as well. And it was just, it's fulfilling for me. It's fulfilling. And it's funny. Um, they gave to my daughter. There was a church we were going to and they were like, Okay, well, your assignment, is it when you come, you got to bring a canned good. So this little girl was literally taking two or three cans out of my cupboard, my cupboard to take it to church, because we're gonna give it to somebody else. So it's like, yeah, just just go for it. Oh, just go for it. Yeah, like you, okay? Like, are you gonna share your shipboard D with them too? And I'm like, hey, you're gonna take if you're gonna take corn, you might as well give it a shot or D two, you know? So yeah, I do you have any tips for for anyone that just wants to volunteer. Do you I would say, Well, what are your tips first? If you know a location if you know an area where you know that there's somebody who's in need if you know of a group home or an adult living facility that you've probably passed by 1000 times and you're just wondering, hey, has somebody come by and seen them has somebody just give them the gift of something they they enjoy? They enjoy hygiene products believe me they enjoy that bingo hi went a little Cray was the areas the giveaways were just a lotion, shampoo Cologne, like little aloe gloves, and little booties and socks. And everyone was really intense into this bingo game because they wanted to win these prizes. So yeah, um, just just go just donate. Just go knock on the door to that ala, that adult facility. The administrator will open up and you can just ask them hey, look, is there anything I can just do for you? Or, hey, look, I found all these the socks that I got.
From the Dollar General, which the Dollar General has Penny shopping? Mind you? best thing ever?
Best? Can you explain that? I know a penny shopping is better explained to somebody who has never heard of it. Okay, well, basically what the penny shopping you're not allowed to ask the employees what a penny. It's basically like going on a scavenger hunt. And then you get the app, you scan it, and it'll give you the price of what it is. So and it's a penny, and it's a penny once I when my niece and her mom, and we went to one of the dollar generals, and we were looking looking looking and we found a whole bucket load of makeup for a penny each. And we're talking about mascara, lip gloss palate.
Unknown Speaker 32:08
I'm
Brandi Bravado 32:12
her mom found bows for the hair and that and she donated she she she was talking about sending out to Nicaragua because they had a situation over there devastation, so sending stuff out to them. And I was like, Yeah, let's
Unknown Speaker 32:27
do
Brandi Bravado 32:28
it. Is there a limit? Or can you just buy all of them? That's what I'm curious about, oh, we're going through there. And we're passing one in. And then there's like, there was this area where they were selling like spring items. And I got like a water can for 15 cents and barbecue utensils for like, five cents. And I'm like, yeah, so this the the register. Yeah, the register guys like passing this. And he's like, wait, wait, wait, wait, what's going on here? 100 items for $1. And I'm like, I really I can't say or I don't know if I'm allowed to say it. Because we're not supposed to ask them. Yeah. So I didn't know if we're allowed to tell them like, hey, and he's like, Look, I don't know what you were doing in the store that you managed to get it and it's fine. You're like, Okay, this is my mascara. And there's a scanner, like, once they pass it through the scanner, there's no trick, it will come out to a penny. And then it's like, Okay, I got this. You know, so penny. So that's what I would do. Oh, who needs socks? Okay, here, everybody have sock? They're like, great. I was like, Look $5 got it for $1 just saying five pairs. For $1. You're not gonna catch this.
Like, here you go. Everybody has socks. So it's just, if I can do that,
on a small scale, I don't mind doing on a bigger scale. And it's just all of us getting together. Yeah. It's just knocking on the door. Hey, look, I know you needed this. You know, I understand there is the concept of people who have pride and you're not going to get everybody. Not everybody's going to be satisfied with that. You know, you do what you can from your heart. And like you group, the group home we went to I just I love the nursing home. Yeah. And I've done nursing homes in college. I've actually did a fashion, fashion show and college for nursing home. I was a part of the gospel ensemble in college as well. So we used to go and sing for the elderly as well. And these are things that you can do and just spend time with that. And this parent. I had started this in high school. I was part of ospita and we would go out there and we had bingo and was a man named boy serious? bingos, a really serious game. And I mean, they, they want a roll of toilet paper. And you're thinking, but toilet paper? Like, what does it mean? It means we're everything. And like you said with the gentleman, he went in his room, he just wanted some kind of normalcy and seeing other people. I mean, I'm sure he loves seeing his wife every day, but to see like other women dressed up, it's just amazing. The year before we did the bingo, the year before we went to a woman shelter, that was women that had, either they were in crime or recovering from drugs. So we provided gifts because they can't get they can't leave their facilities. And they either have children that are babies or smaller, and they were missing feminine products, stuff that you don't think because they're so normal in all of our lives. Like they were missing, you know, pads, I feel like pads and women feminine products are always forgotten. So we donated that and toys for their children. And that one was really emotional. I don't know, if you went to that one, I didn't get to go. But I seen the picture that one was, we couldn't even post that much because of the legality of the pictures and who was in there. But we didn't do it for any pictures. We did it for help. And these children were so happy the mothers were happy, because they knew they weren't going to get anything for their children, because they're just they're trying to recover. And then when we also donated feminine products that they were missing, it was like, you know, not they get feminine products, but it's like these paper thin things that we know as women that they don't work. Yeah, you need the real deal. Like what if you have a heavy flow? What do you have all these things, you know, so providing them different type of funding products, soaps, shampoo, again, these are things you don't we take for granted, because you know, we get them, you know, we can get them at the dollar store. But some of these people can leave their center, and they're given these little bottles, maybe the kid spills it by mistake or something, they use it on their kid first and then they're left with nothing. So my advice for community services being kind that's like, the easiest thing anybody could do is being kind online in person. Again, respecting people because you never know what people are going through. And it's really sad when I go out in public and you see, like, kids being rude or adults because you don't have to be a kid to be rude. being rude to like older, older gentleman, not giving the seat on the bus for people that really need it and different things like that, that I love that how you're educating your children to give back. I mean, I'm amazed that even for when she had money to buy whatever she wants, she just wanted to give it to her cousin. And that's what we're missing in the world is people thinking of others.
Yeah, you you have to, you know, consider that one day, you know, okay, if you have everything, you have a house, you have a car, you have a job. There's something that you want more, there is something that you want to build on. And maybe you're you're stopping that blessing from happening, because there's something more you need to do out in the world. So then all of a sudden, that opportunity arrives without you considering it because you're doing what you need to do. So then your manifestation comes to pass. Hmm. So it's like I tell my kids and even, even in bargain shopping, I tell my kids, hey, you save on what you need. So that you could do what you you could do you could have for the things you want. Oh, I like that. Because there's things there's cool bonds. And there's a like CVS has extra bugs and and the Dollar General and Walmart have scavenger hunts I've literally gone into Walmart bought two sweat sets and two flannel shirts for my kids and only pay $12 and we're talking about flannel shirts that were $30 I found it for three and sweat sets that I found that were that were $12 for $3. So you could give this article to somebody else, or you just may need it. jeans that are $20 I found for $3 shirts for $2. There were 10 you know, so there is that way of you know, these are things you need. These are essential things you need. You need clothes, you need hygiene products. You need food. Exactly. So okay. These are the things I save on because I can but not essentially the things that you want. You can save on because sometimes there's no discount. There's there's there's nothing really you're waiting for that manifestation to happen, even though you have it in front of you. And I've went ahead, bought a vision board and I showed my kids Hey, look, this is what we need to do. You have to visualize what you want to do. And one of the ones on my vision board is giving back. Giving back giving a charity doing something, it doesn't essentially have to, like I said, Be with a nonprofit organization, a lot of people is, sadly enough don't believe in the nonprofit organization because they don't see the product actually happening. So, okay, make sandwiches go out there, give it to somebody network with one of your local stores. Hey, look, this is what I want to do. This is what I'm trying to do. This is what I'm organizing, you think you can help me? And then just go ahead and give it out? Be the change you want to see in the world Exactly. As cliche but it's true. Exactly. You You have to like, you know, there's so many things we want. But there's so many things that are needed. So maybe that's just like your manifestation, while you're giving and you're doing what you have to do, your manifestation comes to pass. And that happens for a lot of people. Like, I really love the home makeover. They used to play on ABC, and these people would donate food from their house, their house was falling apart, and then boom, home makeover given house completely torn down given a bigger house, given a better house, absolutely free. And and they weren't even considering it. But there was other people that seeing the fruits of their labor. So because they seen the fruits of their labor, labor, they ended up receiving something that they had a mind for it, but they weren't considering it at the moment. So Oh, Brandy, thank you for sharing. I love it. This has been a very insightful episode. And I hope people are motivated to do their part, if not join or do their part on their own. Because it's easy. It's just taking that one step of getting out of your comfort zone, making, you know, if you coupon I have extra stuff or give anything you don't use or don't appreciate, you know, give it away, there's gonna be somebody, and I appreciate you for coming on the show. Thank you for having me.
Unknown Speaker 42:14
I really appreciate it. And I'm
Brandi Bravado 42:16
going to explain to you to give me the names of a couple of places if you are interested in in donating or helping out and I'll put it in the comments below. Oh, yes, definitely. And that way you could get involved as well. And again, thank you. You're welcome. Thank you. Next week, I am going to have a comedy musical local here in Miami, the producer is called the ravio rock and roll and I'm going to talk to them about their show how COVID impacts their show. I had the opportunity of going to a private viewing of their show a little one not like the whole show, and I can't wait to hear about it and learn more about him and his program. It might be a little Spanglish, but I think you guys like it, because every time I have an episode that is Spanglish seems to have the most views. And that is a Miami way. So I want to tell you all thank you for listening and sticking through. I hope to see you all next Wednesday, and have a blessed week. Be safe and I love you all and bye bye
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