Hygiene Products: The Most Requested Need Beyond Food

When we expanded our Delivery Program to bring food directly to households, we asked families what additional support they needed most. The answer was clear: hygiene products.

For the families receiving food deliveries, hygiene items were the most requested non-food item — more than any other category. From soap and shampoo to toothpaste, diapers, and menstrual supplies, these essentials are often the hardest to afford and the first to be cut from already-stretched budgets.

This reality reflects a larger national issue. Nearly 1 in 4 menstruating individuals in the United States report struggling to afford period products in the past year. Period poverty affects students, working parents, and seniors alike — contributing to missed school, missed work, and serious health consequences.

At The Community Market and MIRA, we see this need every week. Hygiene products are not covered by SNAP benefits, forcing families navigating high housing costs and reduced assistance to make impossible choices: food or diapers, rent or shampoo, gas or menstrual products.

Because of this, hygiene supplies remain one of our highest-priority donation needs.

You can help meet this urgent and growing demand by hosting a Hygiene Drive with your workplace, faith community, school, or neighborhood group. Collecting items like:

• Menstrual products (pads, tampons, liners)
• Diapers and wipes
• Toothpaste and toothbrushes
• Shampoo and conditioner
• Body wash and deodorant
• Laundry detergent

Small items restore dignity in big ways.

When we provide hygiene supplies alongside food and healthcare access, we aren’t just meeting basic needs — we are protecting health, preserving dignity, and strengthening families across our valley.