Providing quality, nutritious food to our clients is the cornerstone of what we do at Circle of Concern. After all, the words “food pantry” are in our name. But that doesn’t mean our shelves are only stocked with food. Our clients can also select add-on personal care and hygiene products, essential items necessary to good health and dignity.
On the last Saturday of April, Circle of Concern received 7,724 pounds of donations as part of the Girl Scouts annual April Showers Personal care drive.
Girl Scouts “showered” nearby neighborhoods with sticky notes that listed suggested donation items. The following weekend, donations were gathered from neighborhoods, counted, and delivered to Circle. Items such as shampoos, soaps, conditioners, sanitary items, laundry detergent, toilet paper, and even beauty products were donated to Circle’s pantry. These items are not covered by SNAP benefits; purchasing them often means a client has to choose between food and a personal care essential. These products are needed all year long, and they make a huge difference in our clients’ quality of life.
Donations were also accepted at local grocery stores and through an online registry.
We so appreciate the area Girl Scouts, parents, and leaders who dedicated their time to distribute donation requests and to collect, count, and deliver the items. We also wish to thank Operation Food Search, the distribution partner for the Girl Scouts of Eastern Missouri. OFS, a Circle of Concern partner, handled the logistics and distribution of items from online registries and grocery stores.
In the video, Circle of Concern’s Pantry Coordinator Becky Pool describes what it means to clients to be able to select personal care items during a pantry visit.
