For those who wonder what happens to the half-used soap and shampoo products in local hotels, the Rotary Club of Oak Bay has an answer.
The club received a Telus Disaster Aid Canada Community Grant recently for its Soap for Hope program.
“When an organization such as Telus recognizes the value and impact of what we are doing in our community, it reinforces that the Soap for Hope program is making a meaningful difference in the lives of others,” says Rotary’s Anne McIntyre.
Soap for Hope acquires soap and soap products from Island hotels.
The soap is then reprocessed and used to supply area shelters and international projects with hygiene products.
The program teaches elementary and middle school students how some people in the world do not have soap – something we take for granted that saves lives.
Students do a “soap squeeze,” filling one-litre bottles with shampoo (it takes 58 partly used hotel sized shampoo bottles to fill a one-litre container).
“It is a win-win,” says McIntyre.
“We are preventing these products from clogging up our landfills, creating volunteer opportunities for a wide range of ages (to date, from Kindergarten to 85 year olds), and providing a product that improves the overall health and well-being of the most vulnerable members of our community. Soap saves lives.”