“Everybody needs help,” emerged as the theme at Kid CAT’s fourth bi-annual Hygiene Drive during the holiday season. Hundreds of Incarcerated-Americans joined Kid CAT to help homeless youth in the Bay Area.
The drive raised more than $2,300 in hygiene products and money to purchase products. But just as important as the money raised is the social space and opportunity the Hygiene Drive creates for people to re-envision their roles and options within society.
“It’s about saving lives,” Kid CAT member John Lam said. Larkin Street, COMPASS Family Services, At the Crossroads and Homeless Youth Alliance will receive the products and money raised and will then distribute hygiene kits. “It’s not just about giving kids the hygiene products. It’s about the message our partners bring with them. They offer these youths services and hope. The kits make good tools to start bigger dialogues,” added Lam.
“The Drive is an opportunity for incarcerated people to participate in something that promotes a positive self-image,” said Kid CAT member Philip Melendez. “Today, hundreds of men who may feel like they live with the weight of society’s disapproval get to do something that says I’m not the man I used to be. Today, we’re all givers. ”
Kid CAT member Adnan Khan said the hygiene drive is close to his heart because when he was 17 years old, he was homeless. He notes how alienated a lack of hygiene supplies made him feel. “I remember being on the city bus and being embarrassed when someone sat next to me. I didn’t want to be around people.”
Several Kid CAT members were homeless youths themselves, so they know first-hand how a stick of deodorant can make the difference between feeling human and feeling like one is alone in the world.
Greg “White Eagle” Coates is the chairman of the Hygiene Drive Committee. “I was homeless when I dropped out of high school,” he said. “Jehovah’s Witnesses and Mormons used to walk up to me and give me soap and shampoo. It meant a great deal to me.”
Coates is proud that despite competition with a food sale, the drive exceeded its goal of raising $1,500 in hygiene. He hopes the $2,300 in hygiene products for homeless youth will decrease the temptation for homeless youth to steal products. He also expressed gratitude to San Quentin’s administration for allowing those on Death Row to participate in donating this year.
The men of Kid CAT were asked what they would say if they could speak to homeless youth.
“Don’t give up,” said Coates. “There are people who will help you if you have the courage to keep asking. Everybody needs help.”
Many members had a lot to say, and the common themes that emerged were “You are not alone” and “Please, ask for help when you need it.”
The drive would not have been successful without Kid CAT’s dedicated volunteers.
Gail Towle has participated in all four hygiene drives. When asked why she thinks the Hygiene Drive is important to Kid CAT members, she said, “The ability to physically give back to the community is fantastic.”
Dolan Beaird is the lead volunteer in charge of distributing hygiene products to youth shelters and following up on the progress of Kid CAT’s outside partners. He has been working with the homeless for 30 years from Olympia, Wash., to San Francisco.
Beaird’s message to all the men who donated hygiene products this year: “Don’t ever think that what you contribute doesn’t matter. Every bit of soap or shampoo matters. It’s all about the dignity of these youth. That’s what you’re contributing to.”