For Heart to Heart International volunteers in JoCo, volunteering is good, clean fun

An important renovation project has recently been completed at Heart to Heart International, a global humanitarian organization based in Lenexa.

It’s a project that is expanding the very heart of the organization’s volunteer efforts: the hygiene kit assembly space.

These kits — packed with items such as soap, toothpaste and shampoo — are shipped to disaster areas worldwide to help prevent disease and maintain health when essential services like clean water and sanitation are disrupted.

The effort and impact of these kits are huge.

“I am amazed by the ongoing commitment of volunteers who truly want to make a difference for people in need,” said Brian Sink, Heart to Heart International’s vice president of hygiene programming.

More than 12,000 volunteers made 210,000 hygiene kits in Lenexa last year. It was the most kits assembled ever in one year.

Heart to Heart International moved to its new facility in Lenexa in 2019 so the organization could expand all of its work. The nonprofit also provides direct medical care and distributes medication and medical supplies.

The hygiene kit program started organically through Heart to Heart International’s disaster response program decades ago.

“People displaced from their homes needed basic hygiene items, so we distributed them during deployments,” Sink said. “Quickly, we recognized that hygiene items were needed beyond disaster situations.”

Sink said hygiene kits have evolved. Now hygiene kits are made for people who are unhoused, in refugee camps, battling cancer, recovering from natural disasters and in need of menstrual hygiene products and education.

Heart to Heart International redesigned its hygiene kit assembly space by observing and asking volunteers.

“We love our community volunteers, and we want to make sure they are welcomed, educated about what we do, comfortable in the event space and enjoy their experience,” Sink said.

“Assembling hygiene kits is fun. We play music and have team-building games, plus the act itself is hands-on and rewarding. We offer impact photos of where the kits are distributed to groups and individuals to help volunteers feel connected to the experience.”

Sink said two-thirds of the hygiene kits are assembled in Lenexa, while one-third are built in other cities.

“We even have virtual assembly events where organizations from Europe and Asia have participated,” he said. “The need for basic hygiene items in the United States and the world is staggering. Natural disasters, civil unrest, economic uncertainty and poverty continually contribute to this need.

“Hygiene kits offer so much more than simply soap and toothbrush. We’ve heard time and time again from hygiene kit recipients that the minute they receive that simple drawstring bag of items, they feel a sense of hope and know they aren’t alone during one of the worst times of their lives.”

Sink said one of most exciting things in the new volunteer lounge is the “Why Hygiene Kit” wall.

“This looks like an exhibit you’d see in a museum,” Sink said. “This display offers a simple explanation of exactly what we’re doing in the space, and why it’s important.”

Before, there were tables with a display of hygiene kits’ contents.

“This was always something that our visitors loved to stop to review and ask questions about,” Sink said. “Now we have taken that to the next level and have a much more in-depth display to showcase.”

Sharing the stories behind the mission of building the hygiene kits is important, said Victoria Calhoun, a volunteer ambassador and hygiene kit facilitator with Heart to Heart International.

“This fosters a sense of immediate connection and purpose for volunteers, knowing that their efforts directly impact those in need,” Calhoun said.

“Sometimes you hear about a disaster on the news, and the next day, you’re building hygiene kits for its victims. Collaborating with fellow volunteers not only builds camaraderie but also reinforces the collective impact we’re making. You feel like you’re making a difference. “

Heart to Heart International will hold its annual Humanitarian Day from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. May 11 at its headquarters, 11550 Renner Blvd., Lenexa. Interactive activities include hygiene kit assembly, hands-only CPR demonstrations and disaster response vehicle tours. For more information and to register, go to hearttoheart.org and search Humanitarian Day.