THE NEED FOR HYGIENE:

2 million people in Washington State do not have reliable access to essential hygiene and household products. Together, we can change that! Your contribution to the Community Kits Program through Essentials First helps us support thousands of these families in keeping clean and healthy.  

$35 = 1 Essential Hygiene Kit made and distributed = 1 month of personal & household hygiene essentials for a 2-person household

IN 2024 WE…

-Served 4,385 households through our walk-in programs (nearly double the 2,200 served in 2023)

-Expanded from 1 walk-in location in Bellevue, WA to 4 locations, with new offices opening in the cities of Seattle, Redmond, and Kent.

-Expanded our referral and information services at all locations, added a case manager to our staff, and continued working to deepen relationships with referral organizations

-Invested more deeply in our growing advocacy program to support policy-based solutions to the gap in services resulting in hygiene poverty for thousands of Washington families and millions across the country.

WHO YOUR DONATION WILL SUPPORT:

Our walk-in clients are low-income and very-low-income households from many walks of life including refugees and asylum-seekers, unhoused and underhoused, disabled, veterans, elders, single parents and kinship caregivers.

Our newest location in Kent served more than 90% refugees and asylum-seekers since it opened in fall 2024, quickly becoming our busiest location serving the most community members of all four.

Other clients are often in transition in or out of housing, employment, caregiving, relationships, domestic violence, incarceration, military service, or foster care, or experiencing other significant life events, such as a death in the family. Others are living on a fixed income, often due to being retired seniors, veterans, or on disability.

SNAP/EBT, WIC, and other government subsidies do not cover products like soap, shampoo, shaving razors, menstrual supplies, laundry detergent, or wipes. There are no government programs that provide free, or even affordable, access to personal and household hygiene products to those who are food insecure. Essentials First does. 

When we cannot get what we need to keep ourselves and our homes clean, our mental and physical health suffers. Children struggle at school and adults at work. Socializing and relationships are compromised. Everything becomes more difficult. The lack of access to basic hygiene items is a public health issue and can lead to the spread of disease, degrade behavioral and mental health, and impact academic and workplace performance.

We invite clients to come back as often as every 30 days to replenish their supplies and check in with us about what other supports we can provide or connect them to. 

In addition to our regular hours at these four locations, we also partner with faith communities, other nonprofits, and government agencies to show up for incoming refugees and respond to emergencies. In 2024 we delivered thousands of Essential Hygiene Kits to asylum-seeker encampments in Tukwila, to displaced residents living in a hotel after the bomb cyclone weather event that destroyed so many homes and livelihoods, to student families in the Lake Washington School District School Break Food Box Program, and many more.

HERE'S HOW WE WORK:

Your donations go directly to the purchase of hygiene products, which volunteers pack into Essential Hygiene Kits using Essentials First drawstring bags. Volunteers range from youth and church groups, workplace volunteer groups, Rotary, Scouts, school clubs, families, and neighbors from all walks who want to be part of the solution to hygiene access inequity in our communities.

Kits are distributed directly to community members through the drop-in center in our Bellevue, WA office, community events, and partners throughout the Puget Sound Region (food banks, school districts, faith communities, partner non-profits, etc). Kits are distributed to many low and very-low income, refugee, elderly, and disabled households, as well as many unhoused and under-housed individuals and families. 

Every Essential Hygiene Kit includes the best available selection of essential personal and household items like shampoo & conditioner, soap, menstrual products for people with periods, toothpaste, toothbrush, razor, laundry and dish detergents, hand sanitizer, wipes, deodorant, etc. 

WE NEED YOUR SUPPORT:

Since our founding in 2017, Essentials First has distributed over 2,000,000  hygiene & household essential items to a growing number of people without any other access to these essentials in the Puget Sound area. 

This is only possible because of grassroots donations from community members like you! Your generous donation can help provide essential items to our vulnerable neighbors that so dearly need access to vital personal and household hygiene products.

Essentials First’s goal is to expand our community and food bank partners to consistently reach tens of thousands of households in Washington State. It is an ambitious goal, and we need your help to achieve it. So, join us in providing this critical need to vulnerable neighbors. 

Every gift counts. Your investment in the health of our communities in any amount makes a real difference for our neighbors struggling with hygiene access inequity. Together we can create a community where dignity is afforded to all. 

Learn more about our mission, programs, and impact at essentialsfirst.org.

100% of the funds raised through our Ramadan Fundraiser go directly back into the community, providing those in need (including incoming refugees, low-income families, and those experiencing homelessness) with hygiene & household essentials, along with socially and culturally appropriate food (such as halal food and meat). Thank you for your support!