From hospitals to the homeless, you’ve made a difference

As you scroll through Facebook or read the daily headlines these days, you might be bombarded with a lot of bad news. But here’s some good news: You’ve made a tremendous difference in the lives of people affected by the coronavirus.

In addition to providing food and other aid to out-of-work people around the globe, you’ve also provided critical hygiene kits for people right here in the U.S. — from the homeless to our brave medical professionals.

Your gifts have reached places like New York City, an epicenter for this epidemic. Earlier this month, it was determined that New York state has more coronavirus cases than any country, so your generosity couldn’t have come at a more needed time. And since churches are helping to deliver the hygiene kits, the people who received them also have a chance to hear the Gospel.

Here are a couple of ways your gifts have made an impact in the lives of some of our most vulnerable neighbors:

Hygiene kits for the homeless

When it comes to finding ways to stay safe, wash their hands, and shelter in place, no one has a harder time than the homeless population.

“Everything is shut down,” said Juan Galloway, who led a hygiene kit distribution in New York City. “So all the places where the homeless go for help or just to rest — whether it’s a library or a restaurant — are all shut down. At the same time, there’s a lot of sick people in the shelters spreading the disease to each other. … People need to get themselves clean.”

And thanks to the hygiene kits that you helped to supply, many homeless men and women have access to essentials like shampoo, soap, washcloths, toothpaste, and toothbrushes. Now they have ways to stay clean and healthy and do their part to help prevent the spread of the virus.

“People have been so grateful to receive these hygiene kits,” Juan said. He recalled passing them out in Lower Manhattan and hearing many times, “This is great! I really needed this.”

Your generosity isn’t just helping with people’s physical health either; it’s also helping with their mental health.

“It’s just a terrible feeling to not be able to stay clean,” Juan said. “The dirtier you are, you just feel lousy. You feel ugly. You feel less human. So hygiene kits give people back their dignity. They feel like they can present themselves and look like a person.”

Thank you for ensuring that our homeless neighbors — who are far too often overlooked — have the basic essentials they desperately need.

Toiletries for medical professionals

At the end of a long shift, nurses and doctors just want to be able to go home and see their families. But after being with sick patients all day, they risk bringing home germs and possible illnesses like the coronavirus.

So, medical professionals at one hospital in New Jersey have started showering at the hospital to make sure they get rid of any possible contamination. The only problem is they didn’t have the essential toiletries like shampoo and soap available there.

Because of the hygiene kits you helped provide, though, hospital employees now have the ability to feel clean and return home for some much-deserved rest.

A pastor at one of the churches that has been helping distribute aid said that when he heard about this need, he could help but think that the items these doctors and nurses needed were the exact same items that were in the hygiene kits! It just made sense to make sure some of the kits made it into the hands of these dedicated men and women.

“It was an on-time gift from God that is going far and wide,” another member of the church said.

You’ve done so much to help others during this coronavirus pandemic. And you can click here if you’d like to give again and continue making an impact. There’s still a matching gift, so every dollar you donate will help 2X as many people.

Thank you for making a difference here at home for the individuals on the frontlines and most affected by this crisis. And thank you for also meeting needs around the globe. It’s the kindness of people like you that keeps the light shining during this dark time.

Give again