Cleanliness may not actually be next to godliness, but it certainly helps a person feel more human. When families find their homes destroyed, or must flee for their safety, soap and a towel rarely make the cut for what they can carry. Arriving in a refugee camp or other place of safety, they are scared, vulnerable and dirty from the travel. The simple items included in a Personal Care Kit provide much-needed self-care, critical germ fighting, and the chance to regain dignity amidst situations of fear and uncertainty.
Augustana’s CAN Ministry will host a Personal Care Kit collection Sunday, February 9 and 16. Please bring assembled care kits or items for care kits to labeled boxes in Augustana’s narthex and Fellowship Hall.
Include the following in each personal care kit:
- One light-weight bath-size towel (between 20″ x 40″ and 52″ x 27″), dark color recommended (see note following)
- Two or three bath-size bars of soap equaling 8 to 9 oz., any brand, in original wrapping
- One adult-size toothbrush in its original packaging*
- One sturdy comb, remove packaging
- One metal nail clippers (attached file optional), remove packaging
*Toothbrush multi-packs maybe used by sealing an individual toothbrush in a business-size envelope; no plastic bags or wrap
Some important guidelines to remember
- Be sure to shop for light- or medium-weight towels, which are easier for kit recipients to hand wash and air dry, take up less storage space, and are considerably less expensive than the fluffier towels we may prefer to use.
- Please give new items only.
- Please do not donate items with any religious symbols, messages or your group’s name.
- Please do not donate any items decorated with a U.S. flag, patriotic or military symbols, or references to the armed forces, including camouflage.
- Do not add other items or leave out any of the items listed.
- All items should be new and in good condition.
- Do not enclose the kit or any of its contents in plastic bags.
How to pack your kits of care:
- Fold the towel in half widthwise. Place the rest of the items in the towel, fold and roll so that nothing falls out, and secure with yarn, ribbon, string or rubber bands.
Thank you!
