What to Know
- Ashley Eubanks and her organization, The Beauty Initiative, are preparing to distribute bags of hygiene products and school supplies.
- She says many centers and facilities have small budgets so it’s deciding between feeding a person or keeping them clean.
A Broward County educator is spending her summer break helping the homeless.
Ashley Eubanks and her organization, The Beauty Initiative, are preparing to distribute hundreds of bags of hygiene products and school supplies to students. The 31-year-old year woman works with homeless students and those in transition in Broward County.
“I’ve been coined the pad lady,” Eubanks told NBC 6's Sheli Muniz. “A lot of people say ‘people don’t think of this’ and I said ‘well, everybody should’."
She says many centers and facilities have small budgets so it’s deciding between feeding a person or keeping them clean.
“But, when you keep a person clean, you restore dignity and you have respect for yourselves and other people have respect for you. I don’t fault them for feeding them first or clothing them but somebody had to step up and say, you know what, these people deserve dignity,” said Eubanks.
So, she created The Beauty Initiative. It’s a program that helps those who are homeless with hygiene. She goes to shelters, to those living on the streets, and to struggling children while even teaching hygiene classes.
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With the school year approaching, she has more than 450 bags and about 5000 supplies heading to students.
“We just try to stand in the gap and say ‘what do you need’, do you need soap, do you need a razor?” said Eubanks.
If you would like to help The Beauty Initiative, there will be a packing party on Saturday, August 4 from 11am-1pm at the Franklin Park Recreation Center, located at 2501 NW Franklin Road in Fort Lauderdale.
Anyone is welcomed to drop off donations like full-sized hygiene products, and school supplies - you can also attend to help pack as the event will include giveaways, DJs, and food.
