WEYBURN – The hygiene kits provided by the Weyburn Rotary Club has actually saved a life, Rotary members were told at their luncheon meeting on Thursday.
Rotarian Gwen Wright informed the club the committee in charge of the project will soon be putting together new kits, and told of a response to one of the kits.
The last group of kits they made were distributed to four agencies in Weyburn, including the Salvation Army, Blue Earth, the Family Place and for the first time, Envision Counselling.
They started doing kits for men as well as for women, and Wright said they heard back that the ones for men are appreciated, and men are often overlooked for this kind of assistance.
“When we were doing lunches at the Salvation Army over the summer, Cassy told us that one of those kits saved a man’s life,” said Wright.
She explained that a young man was dropped off at the Salvation Army, and was going to be going out to work on an oil rig in the area.
He was given a hygiene kit, and he came back later and told the staff that the kit saved his life, knowing it was provided by people who care.
“I wanted Rotarians to know, you’re responsible for saving a young man’s life,” she said, noting she called around to the agencies to find out how it went in distributing the kits.
“At Envision, they’re dealing with people who are at high risk, or are fleeing violent situations, and the very first kit they gave out was a man’s kit,” she said.
The Family Place had more difficulty giving the men’s kits out, and said they are fine for now, so they won’t receive any new ones this fall.
The organizers of the project have decided to provide 12 women’s totes, and six men’s kits twice a year, and they will go to Envision, the Salvation Army and Blue Earth.
The items for both types of kits are largely donated by Pharmasave, and include such items as shampoo, conditioner, deodorant, agendas and socks, among other things. The women’s totes are worth about $90 each, she added.
“These are helping people who are in need and are not in the best circumstances. We’re getting those ready to go again,” said Wright.
