SPOKANE, Wash. – When most people hear “back to school shopping,” they think of notebooks and new pens. But local school districts are seeing a growing number of students heading into the new year in need of basic hygiene products like shampoo, deodorant, or tampons.
To help meet this rising demand, KXLY is partnering with Numerica Credit Union and Project Beauty Share for the first ever Hope 4 Kids Hygiene Drive.
Julie Farley, founder of Project Beauty Share, has witnessed this need firsthand. “We’re seeing an incredible surge in students coming to school in need,” Farley said.
One of the districts benefiting from this drive is the Mead School District. Their hygiene product stand, located in the district’s resource hub, often runs low on supplies.
“The older kids, one of the first things they ask for is hygiene supplies, and we are almost always running low,” said Kelly McKee, coordinator of student and family services at Mead.
McKee added, “Every student deserves to start school with dignity and feel ready for the day.”
Though Project Beauty Share has supported schools in a limited capacity for 15 years, the growing need prompted Farley to expand the program this year.
“We’re now serving eight school districts, from Medical Lake to Coeur d’Alene,” Farley explained.
The goal is to deliver at least two pallets of hygiene products to each district.
McKee hopes the hygiene stand will one day be a reliable resource for any student who needs it. “We want kids to feel like they can come in anytime and get what they need without worry,” she said.
The Hope 4 Kids Hygiene Drive runs through October 5. You can donate new, unused hygiene products at any Numerica Credit Union location in Spokane and Coeur d’Alene or at the Beauty Share Warehouse. Monetary donations and an Amazon Wishlist link are also accepted via this link.
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