When a need arises, our community responds—and this year’s Help for the Homeless (H4H) Hygiene Drive is a strong example of what that looks like in action.
Led by The Family, this annual drive brings together businesses, schools, churches, and individuals to collect basic hygiene items for neighbors across our region. These items primarily support individuals facing or experiencing homelessness, while also helping others navigating limited resources. Everyday essentials—like soap, shampoo, and toothpaste—can make a meaningful difference in daily life.
This year, Oshkosh Area United Way served as the Area Leader, supporting participating agencies, coordinating volunteers, and hosting the final drop-off location where donations were sorted and prepared for distribution to local partners.
A Community Effort, Working Together
The strength of the H4H Hygiene Drive comes from the number of people and organizations who step in to help—each playing a role in making it work.
This year’s drive reached Oshkosh, Omro, and Winneconne, with 138 collection boxes placed at local businesses, schools, healthcare sites, churches, and more. Nearly 89 full boxes were returned, representing more than $49,000 in donated hygiene items.
These donations now support local partners, including ADVOCAP, Christine Ann Domestic Abuse Services, COTS, Day By Day Warming Shelter, Father Carr’s Place 2B, Oshkosh Area Community Pantry, Oshkosh Area School District, The Salvation Army, Tiny House Village, and Vida Medical Clinic.
Each organization connects people to essential resources—helping items reach those who need them, when and where it matters most.
Keeping Donations Moving
In past years, much of the behind-the-scenes work of the H4H Hygiene Drive was carried by participating agencies—requiring significant coordination, time, and hands-on effort that could pull staff away from their direct work with individuals and families.
This year, Oshkosh Area United Way helped coordinate volunteers to support those efforts by sharing the opportunity through VolunteerOshkosh.org. The response from the community was strong, with volunteers stepping in to pick up and move donations, then sort—sharing in the work and easing the load during a busy time.
Volunteers worked in two-hour shifts over a day and a half, organizing donations as they arrived from across the community. Even a late winter snowstorm couldn’t slow things down. Because volunteers showed up and partners stayed coordinated, donations continued moving and the timeline stayed on track.
As one volunteer shared:
“Volunteering at the United Way for the Hygiene Drive was an incredibly positive experience. Even with plenty to do, we had the flexibility to work at our own pace. It was both fulfilling and genuinely fun—so much so that it never felt like work.”
— Brandy Zehner, Hoffmaster
From an agency perspective, the added support made a meaningful difference:
“In past years, the amount of coordination and hands-on work required for the Hygiene Drive has been significant for agencies. This year, having volunteers step in to help with sorting and logistics made a noticeable difference. It allowed us to stay focused on the people we serve while still being part of a successful community effort.”
— Hannah Wainio, Winnebago County Public Health
Why This Work Matters
Access to basic hygiene items is something many of us don’t think twice about—but for many households, these essentials can be difficult to afford.
For individuals and families navigating tight budgets, that can mean making difficult trade-offs—choosing between everyday essentials and other needs like rent, food, transportation, or healthcare.
That’s why coordinated, community-wide efforts like this matter. When essential items are available through trusted local organizations, it helps remove one barrier and allows individuals and families to focus on maintaining stability and moving forward.
As Elizabeth Ahnert from the Oshkosh Area Community Pantry shared, “Being a part of the H4H Hygiene Drive is an annual reminder of how strong the Oshkosh community is when it comes to showing up for our neighbors in need. From volunteers giving their time, to our community coming together across a variety of sectors, the H4H Hygiene Drive makes an inspiring and impactful collaboration that truly makes a difference.”
How This Work Continues
Efforts like this are made possible through the continued support of those who give, volunteer, and partner with Oshkosh Area United Way—helping make coordination like this possible so community efforts continue to reach the people who need them most.
Oshkosh Area United Way helps support and connect that work by coordinating volunteers through VolunteerOshkosh.org, aligning logistics, and working alongside partners so donations move efficiently to the organizations serving our community.
This approach aligns with the work behind the Oshkosh Area United Way Community Vault, a shared system designed to help essential items move quickly and equitably through partner organizations—reducing gaps and improving access across our community.
A Community Effort That Continues
The impact of the H4H Hygiene Drive is something our entire community can take pride in—from the leadership of The Family to the businesses, sponsors, volunteers, and nonprofit partners who made it possible, including support from Festival Foods, McCain, Northstar Dental Group, Security Luebke Roofing, and Fox 11.
Oshkosh Area United Way is proud to work alongside these efforts, helping connect the pieces so support reaches people when it’s needed most.
If you’re interested in learning more about the most urgent needs in our community—or how to get involved through volunteering, giving, or partnership—we’d welcome the conversation. You can call us at (920) 235-8560 or email oauw@oshkoshunitedway.org.
We’re connecting resources with the people and organizations who need them—when it matters most.
United is the Way we move forward—together.
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Explore how everyday support and coordinated efforts help connect resources with the people who need them most.
