TEEM Launches “Fresh Start” Summer Hygiene Drive

Oklahoma City — The Education and Employment Ministry (TEEM) began collecting hygiene products for its annual Hygiene Drive on July 1.

Through September 1, community members can drop off shampoo, deodorant, toiletries, and other necessities to collection boxes around Oklahoma City for distribution to low-income and homeless individuals within the community who have been impacted by the criminal justice system.

For those who have been incarcerated, basic needs are not always available. Without employment, transportation, housing, or money, starting “fresh” can be difficult –- if not impossible.

TEEM’s mission is to break cycles of poverty and incarceration by providing resources and education to those in need. Each year, the community has an opportunity to join this mission by dropping off hygiene products at donation boxes around Oklahoma City.

These donations do more than supply basic needs: they build confidence, give comfort, and most importantly, reflect the dignity and respect of each person.

Matt Staples, TEEM volunteer coordinator, noted that donated products help program participants “put their best foot forward,” and that it “gives them the opportunity to get a fresh start and make a new first impression.”

The products collected during this two-month drive, which include deodorant, shampoo, conditioner, shaving razors, lotion, wash cloths, and more, will meet the hygiene needs of at-risk and low-income individuals through June of 2023.

TEEM hopes to collect 7,300 hygiene items over the two-month time period. “At TEEM, we know that each item makes a major impact and can help change someone’s outlook on life. When we give items to our participants it shows that someone in the world cares for them and is in their corner. I hope that people are able to feel connected and part of the solution by helping to meet those basic needs that can often be taken for granted,” said Staples.

TEEM is a local 501(c)(3) nonprofit dedicated to breaking cycles of incarceration and poverty through providing education, resources, and employment services to those impacted by the criminal justice system.

For more information about TEEM’s mission in Oklahoma City, and for a complete list of hygiene products needed and collection locations for the 2022 “Fresh Start” Hygiene Drive, visit www.teem.org/hygiene-drive.

Individuals and businesses who would like to host a collection box for the drive may contact Matthew Staples at mstaples@teem.org.

Disclosure: Pat McGuigan, publisher of CapitolBeatOK.com, worked for more than a decade on the Board of Directors for The Education and Employment Ministry (TEEM). CapitolBeatOK.com is an independent, non-partisan and locally-managed news service based in Oklahoma City.