AS part of their continued mission to support the community during these difficult times, Community Embrace UK will be launching a new project in May 2023 – The Hygiene Bank/Pantry in Harlow – and they would love you to be a part of it.

Here is their appeal:

This new outreach project will operate as part of The Harlow Community Food Pantry; an initiative launched in 2021, which redistributes surplus food to families and also provide a warm space for people to find connection and give back through volunteering.

According to a recent survey, “Hygiene Poverty 2022”, conducted by YouGov, 6% (approx. 3,150,000), of the UK population is currently living with hygiene poverty and are unable to afford basic personal hygiene products, such as shampoo, sanitary products, soap, toothpaste, and deodorant.

The report highlights that, nationally:

13% of those from lower-income households, are affected by hygiene poverty, 61% state that it has negatively impacted their mental health, and,

Nearly 40% report self-isolation and avoiding friends and family. Of the most disturbing figures in the report, 41% of parents reported a negative impact on their children’s mental health, while 32% reported a negative impact on school performance.

Sadly, the problem is much more severe in Harlow and the surrounding areas. According to a 2019 report , seven of the 100 most deprived areas in England are here in Essex, with Harlow finishing bottom of the list as the 20th most deprived area in England.

From their own experience, with the staggering increase in people accessing The Food Pantry, we know that many in our community are having to make the distressing choice between buying food, paying bills or buying hygiene products. They simply cannot afford to stay afloat coupled with the increasing living cost.

The Hygiene Bank Harlow will aim to bring the community together to restore personal dignity

Once launched, the Hygiene Bank/Pantry will provide opportunities for the entire community to contribute towards tackling this problem and restoring dignity to affected individual. Products for distribution will be donated by the public, through a network of collection points in pharmacies and other local stores, and through local businesses and community organisations, either in the form of financial sponsorship or product donation.

Thanks to the support and partnership of the Hygiene Bank UK, we now have donation bins across all local Boots stores both in Harlow and surrounding areas as part of the roll out ahead of the launch.

Those in vital need can access these vital personal products in two ways:

• –  visitors to The Pantry will be able to select what they need from donated supplies
• –  individually tailored hygiene/toiletry packs, containing everyday essentials such as sanitary towels, toothpaste, toothbrushes, shower gels, deodorants, aftershaves etc., will be distributed to those most in need through local school partners and community groups.
• As a local organisation or stake holder in Harlow, we now turn to you to support us in any capacity EITHER by:
  • Purchasing a ticket to attend their fundraising night on 6th May (please ticket link and posters attached – discounted tickets available) Masquerade Fundraising Dinner Tickets, Sat 6 May 2023 at 18:30 | Eventbrite
  • https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/masquerade-fundraising-dinner-tickets-24284076326
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  • Make a donation either in kind or financial (every little help)
  • Promote and share this event among your networks and on social media to helpcreate awareness OR
  • Offer your time in volunteering to help with collections from any of our participatingBoots stores across Harlow, Hoddesdon, Cheshunt, Welwyn Garden City, Epping and Ware.
  • As a small non-profit organisation, our strength to carry on with our projects come from donations and sponsorships from wonderful people like you.
  • We are very flexible, and able to work with you to tailor make sponsorship/donation opportunities that benefit both your organisation, and those in our community experiencing this distressing situation and therefore no amount or donation will be too small for this cause.
  • We hope you will relinquish the opportunity for us to work together towards this drive and please don’t hesitate to contact me to talk through any ideas you may have or arrange a tour of the project.