charity gives away packs of essentials thanks to believe housing grant

Nearly 150 packs of home and personal hygiene items have been given away by a County Durham charity, with support from believe housing.

Volunteers who run the Just Love Project helped to make up and distribute 144 care packs for people in Willington and the surrounding area.

Working from their base at the Willington Open Door Church, they were able to provide free packs to local people who had been referred to them in confidence.

The project also partnered with Willington Primary School and Parkside Academy to help reach as many people who required support as possible.

The hygiene packs included deodorant, toothpaste and toothbrushes, shampoo, soap, and face wipes along with sanitary items as needed. Household care packs were also available, containing cleaning products such as bin bags, detergent and washing up liquid.

Packs were made for people of all ages and genders, including packs for families, teenagers and children aged one to eight.

Following the successful initial run, the Just Love Project plans to expand the scheme across the rest of County Durham, with support from local Area Action Partnerships.

Housing association believe housing awarded £828.60 from its community grants programme to the Just Love Project to buy items for the care packs.

Jean Huntley from the Just Love Project, says: “The cost of living crisis means the prices of sanitary and hygiene products will continue to rise.

“Our hygiene and sanitary care packs will help people struggling to afford these products care for themselves during these difficult times.

“We are grateful to believe housing for funding this project. Their support will make a big difference to the lives of people who’ve received a care pack.”

Joanne Norman, Community Investment Coordinator at believe housing, said: “It isn’t just the rising cost of food and energy that people are having to deal with. We know period poverty is a real issue with sanitary items, along with other necessities such as cleaning goods, also adding to a household’s regular shopping bill.

At believe housing we focus on things that will have an impact on our customers, so we were delighted to support this simple but superb initiative which is giving people access to items which are essential for their dignity and wellbeing.

You can find out more about the Just Love Project on their Facebook page.