Hygiene Insecurity Awareness Week

Join Hope & Comfort for a powerful week of awareness, action, and connection as we shine a light on hygiene insecurity and the role reliable access to basic hygiene plays in health, confidence, school, work, and daily life.

From October 17 through October 23, we’ll bring together families, community leaders, partners, and supporters across Massachusetts to raise awareness of hygiene insecurity, deepen understanding of its impact, and inspire action.

Throughout the week, we’ll create opportunities to learn, serve, and connect, from Family Volunteer Day and our Fresh Perspectives conversation to the Hygiene for All Breakfast.

This is your chance to be part of a growing movement to make reliable access to hygiene a foundation everyone can count on.

Become A Sponsor

and power our programs all year long

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Join An Event

from our Legislative Service Day to Dignity Distribution Days to our closing Hygiene for All Breakfast

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Spread The Word

and help us bring hygiene insecurity out of the shadows

Spread The Word

Your support helps ensure that no one has to miss school, work, or opportunity because they can’t afford basic hygiene items like soap, deodorant, or period products.

Check back often for new ways to engage. Together, we can end hygiene insecurity in Massachusetts.

Events

Monday, October 6 | 3:00 PM – 4:30 PM EDT | Hope & Comfort Hygiene Hub, Needham, MA
Join Senator Becca Rausch and fellow legislators for a hands-on hygiene kit packing event during Hygiene Insecurity Awareness Week.

This event will bring together legislative leaders and staff from across the Commonwealth to:

Pack hygiene kits for individuals and families in need

Learn about hygiene insecurity, which affects more than 2 million Massachusetts residents

Understand how this issue impacts every district and what can be done to address it

See firsthand the statewide work of Hope & Comfort, which distributes 5+ million products annually

RSVP NOW

Your participation helps raise awareness, demonstrate legislative leadership, and support efforts to ensure all Massachusetts residents have access to essential hygiene products.
Tuesday, October 7 | 9:00 AM – 9:30 AM | Virtual
We’ll be joined by Congressman Jim McGovern as we shine a light on the hidden crisis of hygiene insecurity. A Co-Chair of the House's Hunger Caucus, Congressman McGovern is a leading advocate for basic needs access for all in Massachusetts.

Together, we’ll highlight the impact of hygiene insecurity on health, education, and opportunity, and outline how we can all play a role in advancing hygiene equity across our state and beyond.

RSVP NOW

Tune in from wherever you are, and be part of a week of action, awareness, and change.
Register for the Kickoff
Tuesday, October 7 | 10:00 AM – 1:30 PM | Hope & Comfort Hygiene Hub, Needham, MA
This hands-on experience is the perfect opportunity to see our collective impact firsthand, interact with our community distribution partners, and help us distribute 500,000 essential hygiene products in one week - representing 10% of our total distribution for 2025.

Volunteers will help pick orders, load products into vehicles, and interact with partners. Prospective volunteers should be comfortable lifting up to 30 pounds, bending, and standing for extended periods of time. Young people aged 14+ and accompanied by a parent/guardian are welcome to sign up.

Register here for Tuesday's shift
Thursday, October 9 | 10:00 AM – 1:30 PM | Hope & Comfort Hygiene Hub, Needham, MA
This hands-on experience is the perfect opportunity to see our collective impact firsthand, interact with our community distribution partners, and help us distribute 500,000 essential hygiene products in one week - representing 10% of our total distribution for 2025.

Volunteers will help pick orders, load products into vehicles, and interact with partners. Prospective volunteers should be comfortable lifting up to 30 pounds, bending, and standing for extended periods of time. Young people aged 14+ and accompanied by a parent/guardian are welcome to sign up.

Register here for Thursday's shift
Week of October 5-11 | Location of Your Choosing
Join us anytime during Hygiene Insecurity Awareness Week (October 5–12) for movement with meaning. Whether you walk, bike, run, or hike, we invite you to go 2.3 miles — symbolizing the 2.3 million people in Massachusetts who are struggling to access basic hygiene essentials.

This is more than just a walk. It’s a statement. Every mile moved helps raise awareness of a critical but often overlooked issue that affects school attendance, job security, health, and dignity.

Want to go further? Start a personal fundraising page or team up with friends and family. Every dollar raised will help us reach more people with the hygiene products they need to live with confidence and care.

Together, our small steps can make a big impact.
Let’s show up, speak out, and step up — one mile at a time.
Sign Up to Move 2.3 Miles

Signature Event

Hygiene For All Breakfast

Friday, October 23

8:00 – 10:00 AM

Hope & Comfort Hygiene Hub, Needham, MA

Join us for a powerful and uplifting morning as we close out Hygiene Insecurity Awareness Week with meaningful conversation, connection, and action to help make reliable access to hygiene a foundation everyone can count on.

The Hygiene for All Breakfast brings together community leaders, advocates, philanthropists, and partners who believe reliable access to hygiene is foundational to health, confidence, belonging, and opportunity.

This year’s program will focus on the hidden impact of hygiene insecurity on youth, with a moderated conversation featuring leaders working across child health, youth homelessness, foster care, behavioral health, and community-based services, alongside lived experience.

Over breakfast, we’ll explore what hygiene insecurity can look like in a young person’s life, what trusted adults and organizations may miss, and what becomes possible when basic hygiene is something a young person can reliably count on.

You’ll leave with a deeper understanding of the issue, a clearer view of the solutions already working, and meaningful ways to help expand access.

Space is limited. Buy your ticket today and join us for an important morning of conversation, connection, and action.

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