Hygiene pantry to open in Champaign County, providing free hygiene items to all

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. (WAND) — The East Central Illinois chapter of the Coalition of Labor Union Women will open a hygiene pantry on March 5, hoping to fill the gaps that SNAP benefits cannot fill.

In Champaign County, 19% of residents are at or below the poverty level. In comparison, the national average 12%.

Vanessa Jones, secretary of CLU-W Hygiene Pantry, said they noticed a real need in their community.

"It's becoming more expensive to live nowadays, and hygiene products are very expensive. If you receive benefits like SNAP, they don't cover your hygiene. So a lot of times families have to kind of pick and choose what they're getting," Jones said.

There are no income requirements to benefit from the pantry. Staff requests that families only visit once per month. Families can pick from the following:

Two Feminine hygiene items
One incontinence item
Two shampoo/conditioner items
Two oral hygiene items
One toothbrush and toothpaste per person in the household
Two body care items
Three facial tissues, toilet paper and paper towel items
Two miscellaneous hygiene items
Two household items

They are also accepting donations. You can bring in physical donations while they are open, donate online, or mail monetary donations to P.O. Box 131, Savoy, IL 61874.

The pantry is open from 5-7 p.m. on Thursdays and 10 a.m. to noon on Saturdays.