As the world combats COVID-19, the Center for Disease Control (CDC) and the World Health Organization (WHO) emphasize handwashing as our strongest line of defense against infection. Unfortunately, access to hand soap remains alarmingly limited for vulnerable populations. This includes low-income families, the homeless, incarcerated people, refugees, and others. For many, it is a decision between using limited resources to eat or remain safe. In even more desperate cases, accessing soap is not even an option.
To live out our mission in this critical time, we have ramped up relief efforts to donate 3.55 million soap bars. Domestically, 2.2 million soap bars have been donated to food banks, homeless shelters, jails, and re-entry programs in 14 states across the U.S. We have donated 1.35 million emergency relief soap bars to 7 developing countries, including Sierra Leone where the International Rescue Committee (IRC) cites only 13 ventilators for a population of 7.9 million people. These soap bars will go to hospitals, health clinics, refugee camps and NGOs.
