“Keep your chin up and your nose clean, kid.” – Manhattan Melodrama (1934)
According to a recent media report, in 2019 a B.C. non-profit donated a million hygiene products to people in need. In 2020, at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, they hit a million in a single month.
Helping people AND helping the environment at the same time – that’s the motto of Nawalawk’s generous sponsor Soap for Hope.
Headquartered in Victoria, BC, Soap for Hope was founded on the belief that no one should ever have to hope for soap. They serve vulnerable individuals across the country to provide an essential hygiene service, while at the same time eliminating as much waste from the landfill as possible.
A network of 75 hotel partners collects gently used or unused soap, hygiene products, linens and lost and found items that would otherwise be discarded. Volunteers then process these items, redistribute them, and in that process, divert hundreds of thousands of plastic bottles from landfills each year.
While health authorities reminded us that washing our hands is one of the most important things we can do to prevent the spread of germs, local supply chains were severely disrupted during lockdowns, and our local grocery store shelves were nearly bare. Soap for Hope came through in a big way, delivering care packets for vulnerable families, house-bound elders and others to 80 Indigenous communities in B.C. and Alberta.
And when the wonderfully generous people at Soap for Hope heard about our culture camp, they kicked into gear again, supplying us with four paletes of linens and other necessities for all 30 beds. When camp operations start up this fall, we’ll welcome a new group of kids each week for language and cultural programming at our brand new facility, and they’ll rest in cozy beds, on fresh linens.
With all the activities and a day of fun in the sun at Nawalakw, or slogging it out on a muddy day on the “west coast” we know a healthy supply of soap is not only appreciated, it’s necessary!
So from the team at Nawalakw to you and all of your volunteers at Soap for Hope – Gilakas’la – thank you!
