The United Way Greater Victoria is collecting new, unopened shampoo, toothbrushes and other personal-hygiene products this weekend at drop-off locations in Victoria, Sidney and Colwood.
The service organization’s Neighbourhood Response Team is partnering with the Better Business Bureau Vancouver Island, Big Brothers Big Sisters Greater Victoria, HeroWork Society and Soap for Hope Canada on the Working Together While Apart: Keep it Clean campaign.
The goal is to collect 2,500 hygiene products, which will be quarantined for five days before they are distributed.
Items needed include new and unopened shampoo and hair conditioner (any size), body wash and body lotion, deodorant, toothbrushes, toothpaste, dental floss, sunscreen, razors (for men and women), pads, tampons and incontinence products.
Soap for Hope Canada will distribute the hygiene products to the Greater Victoria Coalition to End Homelessness, the Aboriginal Coalition to End Homelessness, shelters, transitional homes, food banks, facilities for low-income seniors, schools, Indigenous communities and to refugees.
Donors can drive up, pop the trunk and drop off products. The event runs 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday at three locations:
• Westshore Learning Centre, 2139 Sooke Rd., Colwood (parking lot)
• Tulista Park, 9565 Fifth St., Sidney (parking lot)
• Save-On-Foods Memorial Centre, 1925 Blanshard St. (parking lot) Enter the parking lot off Pembroke Street between Quadra and Blanshard streets and follow the directions of the traffic volunteers. Donors are asked not to enter the parking lot off Caledonia Avenue, since it’s for the Victoria Police Department only.
You can also help by donating to the United Way Greater Victoria’s Local Love Global Crisis Fund, to support Victoria’s vulnerable citizens — especially seniors — during the COVID-19 crisis. For more information, go to uwgv.ca/covid19.
