It’s been about 6 weeks since we finished the second every Soap For Society drive and the results are finally in. I am thrilled to announce that your donations totalled 21,000. That means that hundreds of more families will be receiving tampons, shampoos, razors and soap this Christmas as part of their packages from our Missions. This will literally change the way these Kiwis experience the end of 2019.
In case you missed it, Soap For Society is a drive which was founded last year after I heard about the amazing work of Beauty Banks in the United Kingdom during March 2018. I listened to a podcast on The Emma Guns show with PR Maven Jo Jones and beauty writer Sali Hughes who spoke about their newly established charity: "Clean hair, skin and teeth are a right, not a privilege” said Sali. “Personal hygiene – while not a matter of life and death – is crucial for our dignity, self-respect, personal pride and mental health...To feel clean is to feel better; to look good often makes us feel more able to face the day and the world." Something sparked inside me and I just knew that New Zealand needed this too and that this was something I could organise to make a difference to Kiwis in need.
And while you might argue that what’s happening overseas isn’t relevant to us New Zealand, word at the Missions is that it absolutely is. Hygiene poverty is a growing issue in Aotearoa which affects everyone from teenagers to middle-aged men and women: “For the families and individuals who come to us for help, donated toiletries and sanitary products can mean so much….You can see how this restores a sense of dignity and helps them take pride in themselves again” said Olivia Lange, Community Programmes Manager and Social Worker at Wellington City Mission. We need to urgently help change the script and donate more toiletries products to fight hygiene poverty in New Zealand.
In 2018, we collected 100 crates of hygiene products. We were thrilled. This lasted Wellington City Mission 6 months and they were able to include items like tampons, shaving cream, makeup and shampoo in their packages for Wellington families at Christmas, helping them feel a little cleaner and brighter.
So, naturally, we decided to do it all over again in 2019 (with the help of our partner Phantom Billstickers and amazing illustrator and graphic designer Maureen Placente). But why not go even bigger and better, rolling it out to Auckland City Mission and Christchurch City Mission too?
I won’t lie. It was tough. Getting things jiving in city’s you don’t live in is difficult. I hadn’t really thought about how spreading out the product throughout three different Missions in three different cities would potentially dilute the impact of the donations. I also don’t know anyone in Christchurch and so donations were quite thin on the ground initially until we got two huge donations from Astro and Ethique (huge thank you to them - also thanks to Dignity NZ for another great donation, Undertow PR on behalf of Bondi Sands, and Galderma on behalf of Cetaphil).
When first Friday of the week of the drive rolled around I was somewhat worried that the whole thing might tank as we hadn’t received that much yet. I spoke with Bridget from the Wellington City Mission who reminded me that in our first year most donations didn’t arrive until after the drive had completely finished. I nodded; “We’ve just got to have faith,” I said, probably sounding a bit more confident than I felt.
And indeed, with a little faith and quite a few emails hustling some wonderful local businesses into action, we managed to pull off somewhat of a coup. Lots of brilliant local businesses like Up Fitness on the Terrace, Sable Hairdressing, Creative HQ and Union Tattoo studio showed their solidarity, setting up boxes in their stores. Hundred of Kiwis donated products that they’d bought themselves. And a few business managers of corporate brands privately organised their staff to donate anonymously. The result?: Well, 21,000 hygiene items in one week ain’t too shabby. A huge thanks to the Missions for taking the time to count up these donations. This adds to the legitimacy of the drive and will help us keep up our good work and remain accountable.
Hygiene poverty is an issue that isn’t specific to one place or community, it’s a national issue that impacts everyone which is why I reached out to the Auckland City Mission and Christchurch City Mission. Every product that was donated will make a difference, and I’m incredibly excited and grateful that all our City Mission’s were able to participate and raise awareness. This is only the beginning and I know that Soap for Society will continue to grow in presence and impact in Auckland and Christchurch in years to come.
Bridget Child, Fundraising and Marketing Manager has kindly supported us all the way: “The Wellington City Mission was pleased with the donations received this year, bringing in close to 4,000 hygiene and sanitary products and 800 soap bars” she said “This is an important partnership for us as we look to restore peoples’ dignity by providing hygiene and sanitary products – a few things we take for granted on a daily basis.”
I have a few ideas up my sleeve for how to make 2020 our best Soap For Society drive yet. I feel the desire to keep thinking bigger - as poverty and the divide between rich and poor grows in New Zealand, even as we wish it wouldn’t. No one should have to go to school without sanitary items…
But for now, this is Soap For Society 2019 - signing off! MASSIVE THANK YOU - GIVE YOURSELF A PAT ON THE BACK.