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When she first learned about couponing, her eyes lit up.

Not because of the potential deals on her groceries. For 29-year-old Lauren Puryear, she realized that couponing was the tool she’d been looking for to bring thousands of meals to people in need.

She has set a goal of delivering 30,000 meals to people who are food insecure by her 30th birthday.

Puryear, a Woodbridge resident who is a mental health clinician, has been spending years of her time helping to feed the hungry.

It all began four years ago after the death of her grandmother, who had strongly instilled the importance of helping others.

To continue her grandmother’s legacy, in 2012, she started an organization, For The Love of Others, which aims to assist people of all backgrounds “through providing opportunities to enable them to live a purposeful life,” according to itswebsite.

Though she had been buying food in bulk from stores like Cosco and BJ’s, or from online stores like eBay and Amazon, it wasn’t enough. She wanted to reach more people.

So, when someone told her about couponing, she quickly realized she could use this old pastime to reach not hundreds, but tens of thousands of hungry people.

“I started couponing for food items like spaghetti, meatballs, and I was (often) able to get the items for free or for little to no money,” she explained.

If done correctly, she said she can feed as many as 150 people on just $20, depending on the items.

“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,” she said.

 

See More- Source:  NJ.Com