Bags of Kindness - Hygiene Gifts for Mother’s Day

Aim

We are raising funds to build 200 Mother's Day gift bags full of essential hygiene products and some luxury hygiene gifts.

Our project

We are raising funds to create 200 gift bags for Mother’s Day containing hygiene essentials (shampoo, shower gel, and deodorant) alongside luxury hygiene gifts (bath products, face masks, body lotions, and make up). These bags will be distributed between two of our charity partners Inspero and Spotlight UK who support local families locked into poverty via their non-referral food banks. These bags will provide some of the essentials that those in hygiene poverty may no longer be able afford, along with some extra special items just for Mum.  

What is hygiene poverty?

Hygiene poverty is not being able to afford many of the everyday hygiene and personal grooming products most of us take for granted. The reality of low income is that it restricts peoples options, leaving us caught between being able to heat our homes, pay the rent, eat or be clean.

• It is struggling to wash your hair because you can’t afford shampoo
• It is not being able to purchase deodorant because money is needed for the electric card
• It is not being able to replace a toothbrush when needed, to sharing a toothbrush because one each just isn’t an option 
• It is being unable to change your baby’s nappy as often as is needed and scraping out the contents before reapplying it
• It is washing hair, body, face and clothes in the same cheap washing up liquid used for the dishes 
• It is being housebound because you can’t afford period protection or have to improvise with rolled up loo roll and socks
• It is having to choose between shaving foam and razors or the transport fare to a job interview 
• It is going to school with matted hair because there is only one hairbrush in the household and there’s no time for everyone to get a chance to use it
• It is not being able to launder clothes, school uniform or muddy sports kit when needed
• It is being ‘judged’ for living in a dirty home, when you can’t afford the cost of household cleaning products

 Our story so far…

The Hygiene Bank is a national charity who run local projects across the UK with a vision that one day everyone living in the UK will have access to essential hygiene products, because basic hygiene is not a luxury.

Our story started with the film ‘I Daniel Blake’ by Ken Loach. A moving and harrowing film that exposes the harsh realities of those in our society who fall through the cracks. One particular scene stuck in the mind of our founder Lizzy Hall. The scene is of Katie, a single mother of two who is caught shoplifting and in her bag they find a pack of period pads, razors and a bottle of deodorant. After watching the film Lizzy visited her local food bank who confirmed that toiletries were donated but only on an ad hoc basis.

Friends who were teachers talked of girls improvising with loo roll or scrunched up socks in their pants as sanitary protection. They talked about the impact of hygiene issues on social exclusion and how they and many of their colleagues resorted to buying pupils shampoo and deodorant or washing their uniform. Further reading around the subject identified ‘Hygiene Poverty’ and ‘Period Poverty’ as a hidden crisis in the UK.

Hygiene poverty is humiliating and so, galvanised to do something, Lizzy put out a plea for hygiene and personal care products to her friends on WhatsApp. Donations flooded in - the reaction was overwhelming and extremely moving. Lizzy realised she had tapped into people’s desire to help. All she had to do was find a way to facilitate this... within a few weeks The Hygiene Bank was born.

  How do we work?

Our local community, individuals and businesses collect and donate hygiene products. Brands and retailers also provide bulk donations of items. These products are sorted by our volunteer team, and redistributed according to the different needs of our charity partners. Our charity partners then distribute the donated products to their clients and service users.

The Basingstoke project was created in August 2020 and in that time we have collected and donated over one tonne of products to four charities across the borough. Through this project we aim to provide 200 gift bags to two of these charity partners: Inspero and Spotlight UK and continue supporting our local community.

 What will your donation provide?

Each of our gift bags will be lovingly put together with essential products including Shampoo; Conditioner; Deodorant; Shower Gel or Body WashAlongside some extra special items for Mum such as Bath Soak; Body Lotion or Moisturiser; Skin Care Products; Lip Balm and Make Up Products

 Rewards!

A £10 pledge would enable us to provide one Mother's Day Gift Bag to one of our charities. Pledge £10+ and receive a Thank You! in our social media 'Stories of Support'.Pledge £50+ and receive a Hygiene Bank branded collection bag for your donation. Keep the collection bag at home and fill up with lovely hygiene products and when full, drop off at your nearest collection point. Reuse your bag as many times as you like and continue making a difference to the lives of real people in your community!

 What happens if we exceed our initial fundraising target?

 We will be able to create more bags and surprise more Mums!

 How else can you help?

Follow and share our social media posts

Donate hygiene products to one of our local collection points

Become a volunteer with your local project

Donate products virtually

This project successfully funded on 23rd March 2021