Even if they don’t fully grasp the gravity of the hunger situation in poor neighborhoods, most people are aware that food pantries provide a vital service. The same can’t be said about people’s understanding of the need for personal care products – those everyday essentials that we hardly even consider, like shampoo, body wash and razors.
But as the need for food increases each month, especially in poor areas like Tompkins County, so too does the need for these sorts of hygiene products. Most of the low- to moderate-income families who rely on public services like soup kitchens and food pantries qualify to get by are often eligible for food-stamps, which are federally-subsidized dollars that families can use as money to purchase food. But these food-stamps don’t apply to non-food items, so families whose monthly disposable income is defined solely by their food-stamp funds are out of luck when it comes to keeping themselves clean and healthy.
That debacle is why some local relief organizations offer free personal care products for families who qualify for the aid. One of the most influential of these around Ithaca is Catholic Charities of Tompkins-Tioga, which allows families to pick up personal care packages every other month. The items are acquired through product drives at five local churches (with each church holding two large drives per year) and through purchases of items funded by a grant from the United Way. The coordinator of Catholic Charities’ “Samaritan Center,” Michelle Brichacek, recognizes the problem in only allowing families to pick up items six times a year, saying, “I’d love if this program could be stepped up so that people could get products every month, but unfortunately we just don’t have the funding to support [more frequent distributions.]”
With each visit, people can pick up one package full of the four “essential items” (shampoo, laundry soap, dish soap and toilet paper) and several other additional items, like feminine hygiene products, razors, deodorant, body wash, conditioner and shaving cream. Michelle emphasizes the popular need for diapers, which she calls a huge “budget breaker” for families and single mothers. Clients can pick up packages at the downtown Ithaca location, and the organization also delivers personal product packages to the Danby and Caroline food pantries to reach more rural communities.
The continually chilly economic climate has contributed to an increase in the attendance at the Catholic Charities’ Samaritan Center, demonstrating that some people who have never needed public economic assistance are turning for help. In February of this year, 237 packages were distributed in Ithaca, Caroline and Danby, and by July, that number had risen to 291. See our graph below for more statistics to see the increasing trend.
Michelle reflects on the significance of Catholic Charities’ Samaritan Center, saying, “There is a gap in government-funded programs where often, families simply can’t cover the cost of simple hygiene products that people take for granted.” Something to mull over and be thankful for next time you’re showering or brushing your teeth.
Photos Courtesy of Catholic Charities.
Alyssa Figueroa
Adam Polaski
Alyssa
