About Us
Shoebox Ministry works with many volunteers and through ministry partners to distribute hygiene kits to the vulnerable community in the Phoenix Metro area.
About The
Shoebox Ministry
Judy Borgeson founded Shoebox Ministry in 1988. She saw a great need in the homeless community for basic hygiene care. An international ministry that was sending hygiene kits around the world inspired her and planted a seed within.
At that point, she learned everything she could about the needs of other nonprofits in the Phoenix area and over and over she heard that they did not have the funds to provide every client with basic items they need for day-to-day care.
Soon after that, Shoebox Ministry was born and has been serving the Phoenix Metro area ever since.
Each month we deliver over 1,500 hygiene kits to people in need because we believe that access to good hygiene is not just for the privileged but should be available to all.
Shoebox Ministry collects donated items from businesses and individuals. With money raised through fundraising and grants, Shoebox can also occasionally purchase needed toiletry items.
Once they are collected and/or purchased they are sorted, organized, packed into a shoebox or a bag and given to partner agencies who then distribute the hygiene kits to our network of nonprofit agencies, who then give them to individuals in their programs.
The Challenge
- 1 in 9 Arizonans can’t afford soap (and SNAP won’t pay for it)
- 2,500 people are unsheltered and living on our streets nightly
- People living in recovery homes, shelters or are fleeing domestic violence situations have minimal resources and are the most vulnerable to COVID-19
Shoebox Ministry’s Solution
- Over 1,500 hygiene kits given away each month
- 45 local nonprofits served
- 13,000 people served annually
- Give increased health, dignity, inclusion, and employment opportunities through good hygiene
- For every dollar we collect we can give 2.5 days of hygiene to all
Providing Hygiene Items To The Homeless Since 1988
people served annually
$ Raised since inception
nonprofits served each month
We’ve raised over $400,000 and given over 150,000 of the most vulnerable people in the Phoenix Metro Area hygiene products
We are entirely dependent on community support to collect and distribute toiletry kits.
Your ongoing support and generosity are crucial to our ability to provide these items.
Thank for your continued consideration!
COVID-19 Protocols
We follow the recommended CDC guidelines on mask usage and social distancing rules, as well as limiting the number of people we allow in the building at any given time.