WOODBURY, MN (WNN) – Bridge to Basics, as the name implies, is trying to fill the gap for Hygiene Poverty. Lack of access to basic hygiene products like soap, shampoo, deodorant and even toilet paper.
Started in February 2024 by two longtime friends, Rana Khoury and Kristie Thibodeau, Bridge to Basics is the first hygiene bank in the Twin Cities.
Woodbury resident Rana Khoury, co-executive director of the nonprofit says, “The lack of essentials can have a profound effect on a person’s life. We want to change that.”
Rana and Kristie explain that hygiene poverty affects individuals and families who are already struggling with food insecurity. They have to choose between buying groceries or basic hygiene products. “Recent surveys across three Twin Cities’ Metro area found that 45-percent of food shelf shoppers struggle every month to afford hygiene products, with 76-percent stating that they cannot afford to purchase the needed items,” says Kristie Thibodeau, also co-founder and co- executive director.
One way to cope for these families is to buy less food to afford hygiene or go without. Bridge to Basics addresses the problem of hygiene insecurity by offering a hygiene bank stocked with the 13 most requested hygiene products ranging from diapers to oral care items and laundry detergent. Founded with the belief that hygiene is a basic need, Bridge to Basics works through partnerships to make hygiene more accessible.
The organization distributes products like body wash, bar soap, shampoos, deodorant, toothpaste, toothbrush, razors, toilet paper, diapers, menstrual products to their nonprofit partners.
Since May 2024 they have distributed 45,175 hygiene items and supported 12 nonprofits. Local organizations they support include Open Cupboard, SoWashCoCARES, Neighbors Inc. – a St. Paul Park-based food shelf, and the Oakdale Library.
Donations can be made at bins located at:
Walgreens, Queens Drive
1615 Queens Dr, Woodbury, MN 55125
YMCA Woodbury
2175 Radio Drive, Woodbury, MN 55125
Businesses can also host a collection bin at their location, They can find-out more information at : www.bridgetobasics.org.
