Every morning I wake up, shower, brush my teeth, put on deodorant and clean clothes. Every night my son has a bath with choices of soap with different characters and smells. He has clean hair and clothes and goes to school without a worry in the world. These are things that are routine in our home and things that I don’t give a second thought. When I’m running low on shampoo, toothpaste or deodorant, I simply put it on my grocery list to pick up next time I am out.
I am well aware of the need for food assistance in our schools, but it never crossed my mind to think of the need for these other basic necessities. Cue the Personal Hygiene Pantry at Backpack Beginnings! This program provides personal hygiene products to children ages 5-17 in Guilford County. Many abused and neglected children are removed from their homes with nothing but the clothes on their backs, and things like deodorant and laundry detergent are expensive.
“Time and time again we hear teachers and social workers tell us that personal hygiene and clean clothing are major issues among the neediest children in our schools. These students feel like outsiders and withdraw from their classmates. We know that not having food, clean clothes, or basic hygiene items obstructs children’s ability to learn and thrive.”
Now, schools can order these products directly from the BPB website. How can we as a community help? Pick up that extra toothpaste, soap, toothbrush, etc. next time you are at the store and click this link to see what the needs in our community are.
