The Community Options and Services (COS) Department is proud to announce the grand opening of the Jefferson/Franklin Personal Care Closet in January 2020. This project is the brainchild of Community Options Specialists Jennifer Meyer and Jessica Crawford. The closet currently serves home-delivered meal clients in both Jefferson and Franklin counties who need personal care products. Each client can select two items from the closet twice per year. They call their local senior center to place their order. Meyer explains, “Our homebound seniors have very limited resources and a lot of these items are often purchased last.”
The idea began in January 2019, when the “New Year Fresh Start” campaign was launched. Approximately 400 personal care bags were put together for home-delivered meal clients in Jefferson and Franklin counties. The bags included necessities like shampoo, conditioner, body wash, toothbrushes, and toilet paper. The response was overwhelmingly positive and prompted the creation of a more permanent solution and thus the Personal Care Closet was created.
Generous donations to the closet have been made by: Unilever, Shroeder Drugs, Wal-Mart, Enterprise Bank, and Midwest Dental. Aging Ahead staff and our Foundation also held a collection in December to support the closet. There are plans for donation drives to be held in February 2020 at Redeemer Lutheran of DeSoto and First Baptist Church in House Springs. The churches will specifically be collecting toilet paper and paper towels. Meyer states the hope is in the future they would like to the closet to serve anyone 60 and older in the community who has a need for the items. As more items are added they also plan to increase the number of products each client can receive.
We would like to thank all who have supported the closet! It would not be possible to help so many without you! Looking to help? You can support the Personal Care Closet by donating items like shampoo, conditioner, body wash, lotion, toothpaste, toothbrushes, toilet paper, paper towels, and flushable wipes at any Aging Ahead location. Cash donations are also immensely appreciated and be made online at: agingahead.org/donate.