From diapers to toothpaste and shampoo to laundry soap we received it all! The Toiletry Drive benefited our neighbors in need by providing 20 boxes of assorted toiletries to BareTooth Cupboards, Domestic and Sexual Violence Services, Bridger Community Food Bank, and the Joliet Food Bank.
A big thank you goes out to everyone who donated! As a community, we raised $2,193 [including a $478 grant to purchase toiletries from the Montana Campus Compact with support from the Corporation for National & Community Service]. One special shout out goes to the students and parents at Mountain View Elementary for bringing in the most donations!
We (the four VISTAs at the Community Foundation) put on the Toiletry Drive as part of the 9/11 Day of Service. The purpose of the Drive was twofold: make getting involved easy and fill a need in the community. Anyone who donated can tell you picking up an extra thing of toothpaste or toilet paper while shopping and then dropping it in the bin before you leave the IGA was simple. So simple that people did it to the tune of $1,715! Those individual donations, combined with the grant, made a huge impact all over Carbon County. Toiletries are an often overlooked donation at food banks and SNAP (food stamps) doesn’t cover them -making access to these necessary items often difficult. We think we achieved both, thank everyone who helped make it possible, and look forward to doing it again next year!