From Your Hands to Theirs
Hygiene poverty affects millions, forcing families to choose between essentials like food and basic hygiene products. For students, this can mean missing school due to lack of confidence or health issues caused by inadequate access to items like soap, toothpaste, or menstrual products.
Your decision to donate personal care items or support a hygiene product drive can transform lives, especially for kids. This blog post walks you through the journey of your hygiene kits and donations, showing how they combat hygiene poverty and make a tangible impact for students in need. Whether you’re passionate about donation impact, an advocate for kids, or looking for easy ways to donate, here’s how your generosity creates change.
Step 1: You Donate Personal Care Items or Host a Product Drive
It starts with your generosity. You might:
- Drop off deodorant, soap, or toothpaste at one of our community drop sites:
- Midwest Engravers – 14250 Santa Fe Trail Drive, Lenexa, Kansas, 66215
- Glass Lakes Capital Management – 6580 W 95th St, Overland Park, Kansas, 66212
- Queen Of The Holy Rosary Wea – 22705 Metcalf Road, Bucyrus, Kansas, 66013
- Dick Ray Plumbing HVAC – 4303 Merriam Dr, Shawnee, Kansas, 66203
- Host a product drive at your workplace, school, or place of worship.
- Give financial support that we use to purchase needed hygiene items.
Every item helps fill a gap created by hygiene poverty—a crisis that keeps students home from school and families from thriving.
Step 2: Volunteers Sort and Pack Your Donations
Next, our incredible volunteers jump into action. At our warehouse, donations are:
- Sorted by product type and expiration date (e.g., dental care, soaps, menstrual products).
- Counted and bagged into different quantities depending on product type.
- Labeled with our Giving the Basics logo and QR code.
Step 3: Schools Place Orders Based on Student Needs
Giving the Basics partners with hundreds of area schools. Each month, school social workers, liaisons, or nurses:
- Log in to our system
- Place customized orders based on what their students need most
This means your donation doesn’t sit on a shelf—it’s requested by name because a student needs it.
Step 4: Schools Pick Up and Store Items in the Nurse’s or Counselor’s Closet
Once the monthly order is ready, school staff stops by our warehouse to pick them up. The items are stored in a discreet, accessible place, like the school nurse’s closet, ensuring students can access them with dignity.
School staff members play a critical role, identifying students in need—whether due to homelessness, family financial struggles, or other challenges—and distribute the needed items privately. This setup respects students’ privacy while addressing hygiene poverty head-on, ensuring no child feels stigmatized.
Step 5: A Student in Need Receives the Hygiene Kit
Finally, the moment of impact: a student walks into the nurse’s office and gets exactly what they need—no questions asked. For a child facing hygiene poverty, items like toothpaste, soap, and deodorant mean more than cleanliness.
“I love to go to the Hawk Shop because there is free stuff. I usually can’t have my own shampoo and never get to pick my own soap, but here I do. I like the hair products I can choose for my kind of hair. My mom tries, but she doesn’t have time to shop.”
A student who couldn’t afford menstrual products can now attend class without worry. A teen who skipped school due to body odor can now participate fully, knowing they’re clean and prepared.
Why Your Donation Matters
Your decision to donate personal care items or support a hygiene drive creates a ripple effect. Hygiene poverty isn’t just a lack of products—it’s missed school days, bullying, and mental health challenges.
By donating personal care items or hygiene kits, you’re helping solve this quiet but urgent issue.
Ready to Help?
- 👉 Donate online and we’ll purchase what’s most needed.
- 👉 Host a drive
- 👉 Drop off products at an easy-to-access location near you.
- 👉 Learn more about hygiene poverty
