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Heart to Heart International to host Humanitarian Day event Saturday

Public invited to build hygiene kits
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LENEXA, Kan. — A global humanitarian organization based in Lenexa, Kansas, is asking the public to learn more about its mission and help it fulfill its mission during an event Saturday.

Heart to Heart International is hosting “Humanitarian Day” Saturday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at its Lenexa headquarters. People interested in participating can sign up online for a time slot to build hygiene kits.

The kits include soap, shampoo, toothbrush, toothpaste, washcloths and other necessities. This year, Heart to Heart anticipates sending 250,000 such kits to people in disaster zones, war zones, and in the local Kansas City area community.

“It’s important not just to stay clean, but also to feel dignified and be able to put a good face on yourself as you go out into the world. So it’s really about supporting the whole person,” Christine Knudsen, senior vice president of programs for Heart to Heart International said.

Knudsen and others hope to educate the community on the work Heart to Heart International does during Saturday’s event. Participants can win prizes if they visit five different stations to learn about Heart to Heart’s mission.

One of the stations will allow visitors to tour a “container clinic.” Heart to Heart International sent 15 container clinics to Ukraine. These clinics are built into 20-foot long shipping containers. They give local doctors and medical professionals safe and sanitary places to treat wounds related to the war, or general medical issues. Knudsen spent time in Ukraine visiting the clinics in February.

“What stood out to me is the community solidarity I saw, the willingness to step up, stand in, and stand with their own community members and help in any way they could,” Knudsen remembered.

Two similar containers spent months in Florida after Hurricane Ian. Another is currently in Mississippi helping victims of recent severe weather.

The free Humanitarian Day event takes place May 20, 2023 beginning at 10 a.m. at 11550 Renner Boulevard in Lenexa, Kan. More information is available on Heart to Heart International’s website.