The Hygiene Bank (THB) Bromley is a grassroots, people-powered charity grounded in our local community. The purpose of The Hygiene Bank is to ensure that no one is held back from participating in society because they cannot access the necessary products to stay clean and healthy.

The Hygiene Bank Bromley project was set up in 2018, not long after the national charity itself was founded, by one volunteer and supporting just one community partner. Today we have 4 volunteers, spending approximately 20 hours per week supporting 17 community partners and over 6,000 local people per month! Sad to say that demand is growing every month.

1. How we work:
   
2. Local volunteers have set up a hygiene bank project for Bromley and Orpington, with 4 volunteers spending approximately 20 hours per week collecting donations of hygiene products and basic toiletries and distributing to our local community partners, who are local charities and support services supporting local people.
   
3. The Hygiene Bank, Bromley and Orpington have 17 community partners including 2 mental and physical health support charities, 6 primary schools with outreach programmes, 6 foodbanks and community fridges, a homeless shelter and 2 mother and baby banks all based in the Bromley and Orpington area and all supporting local residents who have been swept into poverty, we estimate that together we support over 6,000 residents monthly.
   
4. Volunteers receive product donations from members of the public and we have collections points in 6 Boots stores and a couple of local businesses. If supporters donate money, via JustGiving or product wishlists, our volunteers may purchase additional necessary products or resources to maximise the project's capacities (such as storage spaces or collection bins).
   
5. Community partners distribute the donated products free of charge to their clients and service users, in 2021 we delivered over 4,000kg of essential hygiene products like toothpaste and toothbrushes, shampoo and conditioner, laundry detergent, toilet rolls, nappies and other baby products etc., in support of over 6,000 local residents suffering hygiene poverty.
   

Supporting The Hygiene Bank is a simple way to support not just one organisation, but multiple grassroots initiatives locally tackling a wide range of issues, from poverty to domestic abuse and disability.

To date we have primarily relied on the generosity of local residents donating products, but recently we have seen a significant drop in donations and are in danger of not being able to meet demand, and so we are looking to raise funds to continue our work. If you can help, get in touch!

To find out more about our work or to get in touch please reach out on our email  tbhbromley@gmail.com or our Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/THBBromley?