Kits A plenty

Saturdays are busy because it ends up being the catch-up day for things that didn't get done during the week.  After a full week of activities and lessons--we were ready for some play time.  We went to the pumpkin patch in the morning and spent the afternoon together.  After some down time and dinner--it was time for the big project to be cleared off the table!  A couple of days earlier, I set out all the supplies that we would need to make 150 hygiene kits for the homeless shelters in downtown Spokane.  I figured if it covered the dinner table--it wouldn't get missed--it would have to get done rather quickly.  Not always the best plan of attack.  Two days went by...and we were out of time!  So mass assembly started Saturday night...and went rather quickly at that!

 I set out all the toothbrushes, dental floss, combs, hand towels, toothpaste, and deodorant in boxes.  I also had body wash and medicated lip balms for some kits.  The gallon-size Ziploc bags were stationed at one side of the table and we created an assembly line.

 

After multiple attempts to not have a pile-up in the middle of assembly, the kids actually came up with a new strategy.  Ashley loaded the bags with the towels, while Nathan, Braden and Jessica stuffed the guts in. Cameron sealed the bags and loaded them into boxes.  Some of the kits are made specifically for women--with additional products for feminine care and beauty aids added later; while some of the kits are for men, with razors and soaps just for guys. Men are simple creatures and don't require as many frills in their kits!

I've been toying with the thought of adding a card to go in each bag--explaining that we are just aiding His hands in trying to make a difference in the community that we live in.  My hope is that the kids will learn a great life lesson when we take the kits down to the Women's Hearth and Union Gospel Mission in November.  I want them to see that they can make a difference, no matter how small or big their contributions are.  And by then, we will have assembled at least another 100-150 kits.  Till then--I'm still accumulating the products that will go in each new bag. I can't wait for them to take them downtown!  I love these kits and the positive impact that they have in peoples' lives!  http://peaceablewalkldshsp.blogspot.com/

Our family has assembled hundreds (actually closer to twenty five hundred+) hygiene kits in the past.  But it has only been within the last 3-4 years that the kids have been helping put them together. With coupons and sales, I've been able to add floss and deodorant to our kits.  A lot of other items (feminine needs) I'm keeping separate because the bulkiness prevents it from going in the bag. But it is all for a good cause and it keeps me inspired to want to do more, be more, and live more fully, so that I can do all that I am able to make a difference somewhere. My kids don't have a choice in participating in this activity. I'm their mom and this is what I want to do--at least once, if not twice a year.  They really don't squabble too much about what we are doing.  They ask lots of questions about the people that are going to receive them and how they came to be there.  I don't have all the answers to those questions...I just know that it matters and that we can make a difference. 

They've made the project go together a little faster for us.  Who knows--maybe they will find their passion doing something similar in their lives, and others will continually be blessed wherever they are.  I'm thankful that my husband allows me to keep up this "hobby" and that he knows we are blessed because of it, as well.  I get very moved when I see stories like Mariama Kallon's.  I remember the first kits I put together back in 2000.  I became obsessed with numbers.  I felt driven to do more, make more, and give more.  I didn't know about her then.  But as I heard her story in person and read it in articles like this one--I know why and how these simple things can alter a person's life.  So as long as I can shop and string two words together...I'm going to making more hygiene kits!   http://www.ldsphilanthropies.org/humanitarian-services/news-features/hygiene-kit-helped-african.html