Nearly 10 years ago, I created the first version of our Indianapolis Donation Guide. The list has grown over the years and yet, I’m still learning about new-to-me organizations who are doing so much good. Most recently I connected with Indy Hygiene Hub at a volunteer fair organized by Zionsville Presbyterian Church. I had heard of them over the years but hadn’t had an opportunity to learn the full impact of their organization.

I was fortunate enough to connect with their founder, Christina Huffines, and Bayley Petre, their Operations Director to learn about all of the ways that we can support their organization through physical and monetary donations as well as volunteer opportunities to help their organization have an even bigger impact.

And I feel so lucky to help share their mission with you.

What problem is the Indy Hygiene Hub trying to solve that most people don’t fully understand?

Indy Hygiene Hub knows that many families earn too much money on paper to qualify for assistance but still cannot afford hygiene essentials. This results in parents stretching diapers longer than recommended. Students missing school due to period poverty. Children experience bullying related to their hygiene. Families are forced to choose between food, rent, and personal care items.

How did you personally come to be involved and what was the draw to the organization?

Founder Christina hit hard times in 2013 and quickly found herself struggling to access basic hygiene and household items for her and her two children. Items such as toothpaste, toilet paper, and detergent simply weren’t available at local food pantries and also couldn’t be purchased with food stamps. She began couponing in order to obtain those items and soon took her hobby to the extreme in order to help others. She began stockpiling items and inviting other struggling families to her home to shop around.

She discovered that it became more economical for her to buy in large quantities - as long as she was using coupons and pairing them with store deals. She became so good at it that she was even PAID by a few stores after checking out with her huge orders and even more coupons. Her hobby turned into an official 501c3 in 2016 called Dotted Line Divas and rebranded to Indy Hygiene Hub in 2023. While Christina still faces many of the same struggles as a single mother, her heart desires to keep giving. As a result, she has helped thousands of families all over Indianapolis with the support of many volunteers and donors.

What’s something about your day-to-day work that would surprise people?

Hygiene pantries are pretty rare! Indy Hygiene Hub is the only hygiene pantry in Indiana. There are only a few that exist in the United States.

Wow. We are so blessed to have this resource locally. Could you share an overview of the services you provide?

Indy Hygiene Hub is a 501c3 nonprofit organization that supports families in need by supplying high-quality personal care and hygiene items. We host a drive-thru pantry on the third Saturday of every month where we serve families. Families pull up their cars and are handed a bag of hygiene items: shampoo, conditioner, bar soap, deodorant, toothbrush, toothpaste, laundry detergent and if needed or available, diapers, wipes, pads, and tampons. While our drive-thru pantry is our primary offering, we also supply the items mentioned previously to community partners and schools.

What’s one long-term goal you’re excited about right now?

The last year has been huge for us! We were able to cross two big items off our Indy Hygiene Hub bucket list - so to speak. We have a partnership with the Indiana Department of Child Services and supply children’s hygiene kits to all 92 counties in the state. We are proud to support children who are removed from their homes and placed in foster care with hygiene products. The second big movement Indy Hygiene Hub made was acquiring our own warehouse space; this space allows us to host fundraising events, hold service events, store products, and serve our families efficiently.

We are now focused on growing even larger! We would love to be able to obtain an even bigger location that can home several other nonprofits all under the same roof. We would love families to have a one stop shop for all the things that they need.

That would be such an incredible community resource. What are your most urgent needs right now—financial or otherwise?

Our most urgent need right now is financial support. We are primarily funded by individual donors and every dollar makes a difference!

What does a $25 / $100 / $500 donation actually do?

Here is a quick highlight of a few ways that we use monetary donations.

A $25 donation allows Indy Hygiene Hub to provide 5 period packs to our school partners.
For $100, we could provide 10 hygiene kits to families.
For $500, we would be able to supply 50 children’s hygiene kits to the Indiana Department of Child Services youth who are entering the foster care system.

Thank you so much for breaking this down. Is there a specific story that captures the impact of your work?

We’ve recently heard from our DCS partner that the foster children light up when they receive our children's hygiene kits. They are so excited that they get their own soap and toothbrush - they don’t have to share. Some kids we are able to serve through our hygiene kits don’t even know what a toothbrush is until they receive one from us. We are honored to bring a smile to their face among their toughest days.

How many people in our community benefit from your services?

Indy Hygiene Hub is able to serve 12,000 - 15,000+ a year!

That is such a far reach. How can readers follow and support your work?

A free and simple way to support Indy Hygiene Hub is to follow, like and share our social media posts. You can find us on Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn at Indy Hygiene Hub. Our website, www.indyhygienehub.org, shares more about who we are, what we do and additional ways you can show up for the community we serve.

On the second Saturday of every month, we have “stocking day” from 1pm - 3pm where we pack hygiene kits, cleaning kits, period kits and diaper kits for distribution to our families. On the third Saturday of every month, we have “pantry day” from 9am - 12pm; this is when families in need visit our pantry and receive the products that they are in need of. We are always looking for new volunteers to make an impact! Additional events are always shared on social media and our website.

Thank you so much, Christina and Bayley, for all that you are doing. If you could tell the community one thing, what would it be?

Everyone can make an impact through Indy Hygiene Hub. From volunteering, donating products or financially, to sharing our mission on social media. We all can play a part in affirming dignity and inspiring hope to our community.

What a beautiful note to end on! Thank you so much for openly sharing about your organization and how everyone can lend a hand to make a difference.

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DONATION RESOURCE // Indy Hygiene Hub