Soap for Society

Have you heard about Soap for Society? This awesome charity works in partnership with Wellington City Mission and other mission agencies around New Zealand, to collect cleaning, hygiene and sanitation products to support those doing it tough. We had a chat to founder Lucy Revill - also a parishioner at St James, Lower Hutt - about their current collection drive, running from 4-18 October, and about how we as fellow Anglican whanau can help.

Bridget Child and Lucy Revill. Photo by Tareq Branney

At the moment, the most-needed products are:

• Shower gel

• Soap

• Shampoo

• Pads and tampons

• Period pants

• Deodorant

Facemasks, hand sanitiser, bladder control products, anti-lice shampoo, washing powder and surface cleaners are also in high demand.

What’s the story behind Soap for Society?
Lucy’s story is super-interesting! She has a background in writing, blogging and by day is a policy adviser in the public sector. A few years ago Lucy came across the work of a UK initiative called ‘Beauty Banks’, which encourages donations of products aimed at reducing hygiene poverty. Lucy realised there were similar needs here in Aotearoa New Zealand.

One of the perks of Lucy’s past-life as a blogger (The Residents) was that companies sent her products to try out. She noticed that “the more she got, the less she cared”, and even started feeling stressed about being sent more things. Remembering how she felt as student to have just one nice skincare product, she wondered whether she could somehow pay it forward. Lucy says: “I’ve been given so much, including a lot of material things that make me happy. But you can’t get happiness from stuff – you get happiness from giving and helping.”

Lucy realised that even when you’re struggling financially, simple things to do with our bodies are still often difficult to talk about. She realised there was a need to make it easy, not awkward, for people to access the things they needed to help them stay well – soap, oral hygiene, hair products, period products, incontinence pads. And when you need to feed your family, often these things come second to securing food – but are no less vital to health and wellbeing.

Soap for Society is also a story of collaboration; growing in partnership with Wellington City Mission to reach those whose need is greatest. As the lead partner agency, WCM have also worked with missions in Christchurch and Auckland. In 2018, Soap for Society collected 100 crates of products and in 2019 received 21,000 products. They’re aiming for 50,000 in 2021.

What’s been the impact of Covid-19 on those you are helping?
Lucy noticed how tough it had been during 2021 for our City Missions. Wellington City Mission was wiped out by demand for hygiene products over the 2021 lockdown. At the beginning the new Social Supermarket had a full room of hygiene products – now these are mostly all gone. There’s much work needed to replenish their stock.

How could our people of faith / churches get involved?
Lucy says that the easiest ways for us in our church families to get involved, are:

• Be the champion in your church whanau and set up a box at the back of your church or hall. Get a notice into your church communications, and ask people to bring products along on Sundays or when they’re in during the week.

• If you’re self-isolating or have limited mobility, feel free to have a look in your cupboards for unused, unopened products, and ask someone to take them to church, or directly to the Wellington City Mission.

• If you’re doing home church, or watching online, you can still help out. You can organise a supermarket order to be delivered to the City Mission. Or you can donate directly to Soap for Society www.soapforsociety.org/donate.

What impact has being a person of faith had on your mahi?
Lucy has intermittently been coming along to St James, Lower Hutt for nearly 2 years, but started Soap for Society before she began coming along to church. Reflecting now, she noticed that the seeds of good things are always there, wherever you are on your faith journey.

As she has developed Soap for Society, she’s noticed in herself a sense of relief in stepping into a space outside of the rat-race for productivity, achievement and consumerism. Like many of us, she notes that “it’s exhausting living in a world that is so obsessed with productivity.”

Lucy highlights the importance of loving others because they have innate value and inherent worth, not because of anything they’ve done or because of their status in society, especially when people are doing it hard, or whose voices are often drowned out by the “strong and mighty.” This reminds her of how Jesus loved and acknowledged all people who make up society. “I think we should always remember that we’re never too far from falling through the cracks” she says. “An injury, a job loss or the death of a loved one could be the thing that tips us over the edge. As the saying goes, there but for the Grace of God go I. Today, we can make a difference through our compassion for others.”

Visit soapforsociety.org to find out more.