Donate Hospital Hygiene Bags
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Her Situation:
Unborn children whose mother is living in poverty are at heightened risk of abortion. Their mother may already feel like a burden relying on others for help, or she may be scraping by, barely making ends meet. She may even believe that abortion would spare her baby from a lifetime of hardship.
Over the last four decades, the profile of who resorts to abortion has shifted from teens to single moms in their 20s. Just under half (49%) of women who have abortions live at or below the federal poverty line — $26,650 for a mom with two children. Another 25% live below 200% of poverty. Offering material support to vulnerable moms can help empower her to choose life and sustain that decision.
Overview
Her Community:
Expectant moms often put lots of time and thought into packing their hospital bag with comfortable clothes, all the essentials, and special products for mom and baby. But moms experiencing homelessness may have nothing to pack. When they deliver in the hospital, they have no hygiene products for after delivery and are limited to whatever the hospital provides, if anything.
Donating hygiene bags so hospitals can serve these moms is a simple way to strengthen the pro-life safety net in your community. While the hospital will ensure she leaves with follow-up appointments and care for her and her baby, the hygiene bag will ensure she leaves with necessary products as well as information to access additional resources like diapers, parenting classes, and local providers who are ready to serve her.
Preparing these bags is an easy way to involve your church or ministry in walking with abortion-vulnerable women. It is also an educational opportunity to raise awareness about moms in your community facing poverty and homelessness.
In early 2026, Her Community in Saline County, Arkansas completed this project and packed 58 hygiene bags for the local hospital. A local children's ministry competed to collect the most supplies, and a high school human development class packed the bags and learned about the realities faced by abortion-vulnerable women. These bags will continue to be replenished to ensure all moms have the supplies they need to deliver their babies and find additional support.
Consider creating hygiene bags for moms who are experiencing homelessness in your community as a simple way to strengthen the pro-life safety net.
Key Benefits
- Provide for moms experiencing homelessness
- Help connect women in need to valuable resources
- Involve your church in strengthening the pro-life safety net
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Steps to Complete
- 1
Contact your local hospital.
Ask if they see women experiencing homelessness in labor & delivery and whether you can donate items for them. They may have specific policies or request specific items, so ensure you follow all of their requirements.
- 2
Develop a plan.
Based on your conversation with the hospital, determine a plan of action. Plan for four stages: ask for donations, collect donations, pack bags, and deliver bags. Before you get started, determine who will be involved at each stage. Are there ministries or groups you can ask to get involved in specific stages?
- 3
Ask for donations.
Your conversation with the hospital will inform what specific items are needed, but a basic list includes: toothpaste, toothbrush, soap, deodorant, hairbrush, hand sanitizer, hand wipes. You will also need bags to pack hygiene items in. See if local businesses are willing to donate them.
You can ask for donations from your entire congregation but get creative! Assign each age group of your youth ministry program to collect a specific item and give a prize to whichever group brings in the most supplies.
- 4
Collect donations.
Organize a time and location for people to drop off donations. Consider reserving a space or setting aside a labeled box at your church where people can drop off donations without you needing to be present to collect them. Give people plenty of time, at least a couple of weeks, to collect and drop off donations before you begin packing.
- 5
Pack the bags.
Consider asking a ministry or group at your church to help pack the bags. This is a great project for high school classes and also provides an opportunity for you to educate them on the realities faced by abortion-vulnerable women.
Along with hygiene items, pack the bags with lists of other resources she may need. This includes the local pregnancy center, resource closets, ministries who can provide diapers and other items, parenting classes, and information on your state’s Safe Haven Laws. Find the providers in your area on Her PLAN’s directory of life-affirming resources.
- 6
Deliver the bags.
Once the bags have been packed, deliver the bags to the hospital. The hospital may only have room to store a few at a time, so you may need to find a second space where the rest can be stored. Reserve a designated storage space at your church for the bags or ask your local pregnancy center or similar provider if you can keep the additional bags there to replenish the hospital as needed.
- 7
Continue to replenish the bags.
Stay in touch with the hospital so you can provide additional bags as needed. This may be a project your church completes quarterly or annually.
Work with the hospital to evaluate the bag contents. Are there other items that are desperately needed? Are there new providers who should be included as resources?