About this fundraiser

Eight years ago, I asked my friend Dave Lodder how I could help with the Christmas giving effort he had been building for years.

Dave’s answer was simple: he didn’t necessarily need more people helping him do what he was already doing. What he needed was help providing more of the things people needed.

One of those needs was hygiene products—especially feminine hygiene products. They were frequently requested, but providing them wasn’t something Dave’s group specifically focused on. So, that is where I put my efforts.

Without any experience, I put together an amazon wish list and begged friends and family for money. The first year friends and I were able to put together 50 hygiene bags and purchase full sized boxes of feminine hygiene products.

Because of your support, it’s grown every year!

What started as a simple way to help has turned into an annual fundraiser of its own. So after eight years, I’ve decided this little fundraiser deserves a name.

It’s now The Essentials Project.

The name feels fitting because that’s really what this is about: collecting the everyday essentials that people need, but don’t always have access to. My focus is basic hygiene and feminine hygiene products, but the heart of the project is much bigger than a box of products. It’s about recognizing a basic need and finding a way to help meet it.

The Essentials Project is just one small piece of the much larger effort Dave started years ago. I’m incredibly grateful that when I asked him how I could help, he pointed me toward a need that I could make my own.

You can help in many ways! Donate to this page and your money will be used to buy products. See the comment thread for other options too!