Hygiene for the homeless

For Sedgwick’s temporary housing division, headquartered in Atlanta, GA, housing isn’t just our business, it’s our passion. While we work to put disaster victims in the perfect temporary house every day, we make an effort to address those who are even less fortunate in our community. For the past six weeks our colleagues have organized a charity drive, hygiene for the homeless, to provide basic personal care items in individual packages to distribute through Atlanta’s shelters, churches, and outreach centers. For the homeless population, access to toothbrushes, deodorant, feminine products, and more not only improves their personal health and wellbeing but also increases their sense of self-worth. When choices have to be made between a meal and mouthwash, it’s a difficult and embarrassing decision but one that is obvious. Our intention was to make sure that no one in our community has to pick between going hungry and being clean. Our goal is to provide as many people as possible with care packages filled with basic and also gender-specific items while also including resources to give them the helping hand they need. In our packages, we included laminated cards with many local sources of aid listed alongside their locations and purpose to inform this community of the opportunities and resources available to them.

What started out as a plan to provide homeless women in Atlanta with feminine hygiene products quickly expanded into a larger project—giving as much as possible for men and women without homes to retain their dignity. It is easy to overlook the importance of such items when you have regular access to hot running water and the means to purchase these products: it is something that most of us, innocently, take for granted.

Kendre Tripp, one of our Housing Support Specialists, spearheaded this project, cultivating it into something broader and more inclusive than past year’s projects. Her plans exemplify what Sedgwick’s temporary housing division values in our colleagues: taking the initiative to help those in need by inspiring teamwork and inclusiveness. With the overwhelming support of Victoria Pinzon, Liesl Dano, and Emily Chang who all championed our donation drive, TA has created care packages for over six hundred of Atlanta’s homeless population. Together, these ladies reached out to members of our community and partnered with businesses and non-profits to make this all possible; while donating items themselves as well. The efforts of our colleagues were matched by Aaron Wilson and Tommy Chapman, who ensured that funding was available to meet the needs of this project. For Lee Pigliavento, charity is the hallmark of our team’s success—he personally oversees all of our charities such as The Santa Speedo Run, Habitat for Humanity, and many other projects. For us here at Sedgwick’s temporary housing division, working for y/our policyholders is not our only obligation—we feel a responsibility as we grow to give back to our community and help rebuild the lives of those who are in need.