100 Hygiene Kits Completed

I think the title pretty much explains it all. The Hygiene Kit service project I put together turned out better than I expected. We collected enough toiletry items to make 100 kits. The actual assembling of the kits took place on Saturday. Great Harvest donated some refreshments for us and we got a great turnout. I invited a journalist from the local newspaper to come but we finished the kits in 15 minutes, before he could get there. We did a phone interview and the photographer came just in time to get a picture of the last kits being packed into boxes. I can't believe how much we were able to accomplish in a week. I had a few people ask me when I was planning to do another service project. I hadn't thought about it but I might put another one together in a few months. Maybe we can get some fabric donated and make some quilts for the Humanitarian aid program. Thank you to everyone who participated and helped collect items and spread the word. Here is a copy of the article that was in the Journal Courier.

CONGREGATION CREATES HYGIENE KITS FOR HAITI
What started as a plan to put together 25 hygiene kits to help victims of the Haiti earthquake grew four times as large Saturday in West Lafayette.

Members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in West Lafayette quickly assembled 100 hygiene kits Saturday. Each kit contains two hand towels, two bars of soap, a tube of toothpaste, four toothbrushes and a comb. The items were donated by church members and neighbors.

The national church "has already sent thousands of these kits to Haiti," said church member Brielle Kennington, who organized the local effort. The kits will be sent to the church's regional facility in Indianapolis. Church officials will either send them to Haiti or store them to use in a future emergency, she said.

Church member Andrea Davis helped organize the event.

"I actually served as a missionary in the Dominican Republic about 10 years ago," Davis said. "While the atmosphere in the Dominican Republic was very poor, I was always told it was 10 times worse in Haiti," Davis said.

After seeing the aftermath of the quake, she said, "I just wanted to help out."

Numerous charitable organizations have stressed that people wishing to help the Haiti relief effort should donate money rather than goods.

"Sometimes it's easier for people to give items than it is to give money," Kennington said.

Major Nelson De La Vergne is with the Salvation Army Lafayette. He agreed that monetary donations are better right now because of shipping difficulties in Haiti. If people want to help by donating items, De La Vergne suggested people give to local food pantries and other charities that help local residents.

"As all this money is going to Haiti, local charities aren't getting it," De La Vergne said.

"They're going to be hurting later on."