October 21, 2020
S.H.E. Counts is launching its year-long county wide personal care drive and would love to help you give the best gift ever – the gift of supporting area women and girls in need.
S.H.E. Counts is collecting donations of personal care items to send to Crisis Intervention Services (CIS) and Mid-Iowa Community Action (MICA). CIS helps people rebuild their lives in the aftermath of sexual assault, domestic violence, or other violent crimes. MICA helps low-income central Iowan families.
Alicia Blankenfeld, president of the S.H.E. Counts advisory committee states, “We are starting a movement to highlight the gender-based price discrimination associated with obtaining personal care products and our society’s continued discomfort with the euphemism of ‘feminine hygiene’.”
Items such as tampons, menstrual pads, body wash, lip balm, lotion, shaving razors, shampoo, conditioner, and ethnic hair care items such as coconut oil (for hair), soft bristled brushes and shower caps. Individual items can be accepted from a larger package, as long as they are unopened or unused.
Local businesses and organizations participating in the collection of items include Bates Flowers By Design, Claude W. and Dolly Ahrens Foundation, Dental Associates, Edward Jones/4th Avenue location, Fareway, Grinnell Area Chamber of Commerce, Grinnell Family Care, HyVee, McNally’s, Remax, Saint’s Rest, Surgical Associates, Three Sisters Fabric in Montezuma, and Total Choice Shipping and Printing.
If you would prefer to make a monetary donation instead, on-line donations can be made at https://ahrensfamilyfoundation.org/s-h-e-counts/ (Select S.H.E. Counts and note in the comment section “Personal Care Drive”). Checks should be written to the Ahrens Foundation/S.H.E. Counts, with the memo line “Personal Care Drive” and mailed to P.O. Box 284, Grinnell, IA 50112. Donations are tax-deductible and donors will receive a donor acknowledgment letter.
You can also donate directly to MICA at https://www.networkforgood.org/donation/MakeDonation.aspx?ORGID2=420923311&fbclid=IwAR1slHrYZkM9i-irbIVu3zPv0CZ2bxUh- or purchase items through CIS’s wish list on Amazon at https://www.amazon.com/registry/wishlist/18Y695GE9P67M
Thank you for your support of women and girls in Poweshiek County!
The mission of S.H.E. Counts is to support, help, and empower women and girls in Poweshiek County. S.H.E. Counts is headed by a diverse group of women within the county who are committed to helping move women and girls towards self-reliance.
S.H.E. Counts is a partner program fund of the Claude W. and Dolly Ahrens Foundation. The purpose of the Foundation is to provide improved and enhanced quality of life for present and future generations with interest in the areas of parks & recreation, education, and health with its collaborative partners.
