things to |!ft to donate to homeless shelters
i volunteered at a shelter for quite a while before covid so if you’re looking to give back to your community this is a list of things homeless shelters and homeless people are in need of. please add to this post if you have more ideas!
any travel size hygiene products
this means deodorant, shampoo, body wash, toothpaste (and toothbrush), mouthwash, hand sanitizer, baby wipes, lotion, chapstick, things like that.
shelters will be more in need of the shampoo and body wash. the shelter i volunteered at had private individual showers and gave each person their own thing of shampoo, conditioner, and body wash like you see in hotels. they even suggested that you take those and donate them if you stay at a hotel.
i can’t empathize this enough. homeless people who menstruate and are in shelters need these so badly and people rarely think to donate them.
sure, this is assumed, but what type of clothing exactly? first, SOCKS! number 1 most needed clothing item homeless people say they need. clean, warm socks. after socks things like underwear and hats and gloves are most sought after. especially with a lot of places in the northern hemisphere getting colder now. if you can, sturdy shoes and bras.
backpacks or suitcases, blankets, tents, some outdoorsman stores have compact camping mats or mattresses that fold up really small. solar powered camping lamps, flashlights
with food you need to think,
will it stay good for a long time?
can it be eaten without outside tools?
does it look like it won’t taste bad?
if the answer is yes to these questions snatch it.
things like canned goods with the pull tabs are great, check for protein bars, raisins, pretzels, jerky, nuts, hell even candy don’t just go for necessities. when possible go for water too.
these are probably what a capitalist would call “luxury items” or “comfort items.”
hand warmers, books, lighters, nice reusable bottles (easy to clean without a dishwasher though), a reusable utensils set, a box of plastic sandwich bags, hair ties, makeup, watches, reusable masks
it’s rough for a lot of people right now. i know some of y’all have incredible talent in this community. personally i’m going to use this list to practice praxis and be a little bit of a local robin hood next time i’m out. lmk if you use this!