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We serve in a community whose need will not go unmet because of our mission and vision and the mission of those who we collaborate and partner with; supported by the servant hearts of our volunteers.
It’s about our supporters, collaborators, volunteers, individuals, and families we have the privilege to serve with and to serve.
It’s not about our alcaides, it’s about everyone that has come together to provide so much to so many. Some we gratefully publicly acknowledge, many more we thank who choose to stay in the recesses giving and serving, preferring their anonymity.
Our goal, which is being fulfilled through you, is to meet the undermet and more often unmet need for basic non-food goods, and to alleviate the shame, desperation, and increased chance of illness and disease which often accompany hygiene poverty. To serve the underserved and unserved individuals and families in Racine County, expanding into Milwaukee and Kenosha Counties.
What is Hygiene Poverty?
Uninsured. Food insecure. Unhoused. These are the names given to the untenable conditions that arise from poverty—some of them, at least. There is still no common language to describe the condition of being unable to afford diapers, toothpaste, laundry detergent, tampons, and the like, however, which is a shame. . . . Hygiene poverty is rampant in the United States and affects health as well as the capacity of millions of Americans to succeed at school, work, or virtually anyplace.”[1]
Articles by Feeding America and Tim Barclay, PhD, provide insight into the need. Feeding America in their research project In Short Supply: American Families Struggle to Secure Everyday Essentials “found that many American families struggle to afford basic non-food household goods—including products related to personal care, household care and baby care—and, as a result, make trade-offs with other living expenses and employ coping strategies to secure essential household goods.” Some of the trade-offs and coping strategies employed are: 1) skip washing dishes or doing laundry; 2) only clean the children’s clothes; 3) delay changing a diaper or reuse diapers; 4) brush teeth without toothpaste; 5) bathe without soap.”[2] According to an article by Tim Barclay, PhD, “Poor hygiene can increase the risk of illness or disease. These are not diseases that you typically catch by chance, but rather are illnesses that come from a lack of personal cleanliness. Many diseases that affect the skin surface and gastrointestinal tract come from poor bathing practices, wearing dirty clothes, and not washing your hands before handling food. The CDC’s list of hygiene-related illnesses also includes parasitic fungal infections that will remain in or on your body until they are treated.”[3, 4]
“Federal nutrition assistance programs, such as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), focus only on food items, so there is a need for other creative strategies to help families afford non-food goods that are just as important for maintaining a healthy lifestyle.”[2]
The need for assistance in Racine County alone is clearly outlined in the 2022 Racine County Public Health Division Community Health Assessment in which data was obtained from Wisconsin 211 helpline pertaining to information and referrals for local resources which included Shelters and Homelessness, Utility Assistance, Food and Meal Assistance, and Rental Assistance. In comparing January-December 2021 and January-October 2022 data their findings showed “11,301 callers inquired about resources for food or meals including, SNAP, pantries, soup kitchens, baby formula and delivered meals” an increase of 52.2%.[5] Within the various services offered, no service category exists for basic non-food goods.
Our continuing commitment is to provide these basic non-food goods on a consistent basis for the moderate and low-income individuals and families in Racine County, expanding to Milwaukee and Kenosha Counties. It has been a privilege to already have provided shampoo, deodorant, body wash, baby wipes, baby wash/bath, dishwashing detergent, multi-purpose cleaner, laundry detergent, etc., to individuals and families: in rehabilitation homes; to families reunited out of incarceration and foster care; families of incarcerated individuals; working individuals and families who needed a little help; individuals and families in transitional living facilities, rehousing programs, and low-income housing.
The need is ever increasing, but because of your support, collaboration, and volunteering, hygiene poverty in our communities is no longer going unmet. It’s not about what we’re doing alone, it’s about what we are doing together.
Sources:
[1] https://tcf.org/content/commentary/americas-unspoken-hygiene-crisis/?agreed=1
[3] https://www.innerbody.com/impacts-of-personal-hygiene-on-your-health
[4] https://www.cdc.gov/hygiene/disease/
Your inquiry can spark change. Reach out to bridge the gap in hygiene poverty.