Feminine-hygiene product drive helps homeless women

Feminine hygiene products are a basic necessity, but for many homeless women, these products are not easy to come across.

For this reason, two Merced County organizations are teaming up to collect bras and hygiene products to be distributed to homeless women in the community.

The Merced County Rescue Mission and United Way of Merced will serve as drop-off locations for these products during an ongoing drive.

New bras with tags and unopened hygiene products can be dropped off at the following two locations:

▪ Rescue Mission at 1921 Canal St. in Merced

▪ United Way at 658 W. Main St. in Merced

Lori Schiffbauer, program manager for Root Social Merced of United Way, said the effort is like a food or coat drive for the homeless. Organizers, however, hope to make this an ongoing endeavor because of the constant need.

Schiffbauer explained that women already walk into the United Way offices in search of these types of products. This drive would make providing this type of resource easier, she said.

“We’ve been doing quite a few drives, but never one like this, and we feel that there’s a special need to do so,” she said.

The idea came from Andrea Clark, a Merced resident and occasional community volunteer, who has always felt inclined to help the “underdogs.” Clark, who used to work for the Merced County General Assistance and food stamps programs, said she’s always had a special affection for the homeless.

She recalls times when, with the permission of her department, she used to keep soap bars in her desk at work to give out to those who couldn’t afford it.

Clark said that when thinking about helping the homeless, food and clothes are the first thing that pop into people’s heads; hygiene products don’t always top the list.

For Clark, this drive is about restoring the dignity of the homeless. Access to these products is a unique challenge for the homeless, she said.

“Especially for women ... I cannot imagine not having these basic needs and still feeling like you have some dignity,” Clark said.

The drive started a few weeks ago, but organizers have not collected much yet. The bulk of the donations will go to Rescue Mission’s Haven of Hope for Women program. Distributing items to other programs will depend on how many are collected.

People with questions can call United Way at (209) 383-4242 or the Rescue Mission at (209) 722-9269.

This story was originally published March 23, 2015 at 5:01 PM with the headline "Feminine-hygiene product drive helps homeless women."