Hygiene kits for those in need
Giving back is the essence of winter holidays, but it should be a year-round practice, as giving back is a human foundation. As the economy becomes unstable and inflation goes up, many people have to make sacrifices to maintain the essentials, and sometimes have to give essentials up. Daysha Trujillo, the founder and CEO of TruKidz, wants to make sure participants do not sacrifice their dignity or hygiene as they try to navigate the hardships of life.
Trujillo was inspired to start TruKidz at age 13 as her friend was a foster youth and struggled with obtaining hygiene products.
“She told me she was having trouble feeling confident in herself and would ask me for things such as snacks or hygiene products because she was in foster care sharing with eight other sisters,” Trujillo said as she detailed the first time she made a hygiene kit. “I wanted to make something that would carry everything she would need, and that's when I created my first hygiene kit because when you feel clean, you feel confident and ready to take on the world.”
Trujillo didn't stop with just her friend, once she saw the impact she had she knew what was her next move.
“I went out and talked to many CEOs and other organizers of non-profits around me to see how they began and get some advice about how I should create my own. After some thinking, networking, and support from the partnerships I was able to foster, I created TruKidz.”
TruKidz is a non-profit organization that provides hygiene kits to people in need. These kits include essentials, shampoo, conditioner, brush, socks, toothbrush/toothpaste, and feminine hygiene products.
Trujillo's decade-long hard work paid off in more ways than one, and one of the achievements was catching the eye of Jennifer Stolo, the CEO of Robert Craig Films (RCF), and becoming part of their Big 5 Campaign. The campaign centers around the homeless crisis and organizations providing aid to them.
“We are producing a movie called 'No Address' that is about a group of individuals that fall into homelessness unexpectedly, and while creating the film, we realized we could take it a step further and decided to take a bus tour across 18 states and 20 different cities, to highlight the different causes and organizations that are helping people dealing with homelessness and helping them get back on their feet,” Stolo said as she spoke about the film and how that led her to meet Daysha. “Trujillo was an extra on the set as they were going through the process of selecting organizations to be part of the film, and with the scene being a graduation scene, it was serendipitous as she was preparing to graduate high school and the partnership blossomed from there as she explained what her cause was while filming.”
The Big 5 Campaign also integrates “The Big 5 Giveback.”Robert Craig Films is pledging to donate 50% of the net proceeds from all five productions to assist nonprofits addressing homelessness - and Trukidz will be a beneficiary.
TruKidz is included in several school districts and is close to helping over 8,000 homeless people. You can visit their site at www.TruKidz.org
