1. Tell us about the mission and vision of your organization.
U First’s mission is to provide sustained access to essential hygiene products to support the health, dignity, and confidence of children and adults in need.
U First’s vision is that one day everyone living in the US will have access to essential hygiene products to feel clean, confident, and healthy.
2. What inspired the creation of your nonprofit organization, and how has it evolved since then?
After witnessing a woman washing her hair under a bridge, I understood – perhaps for the first time – how people experiencing homelessness lack even the simplest products to stay clean and healthy. Products most of us take for granted. This sparked a new level of compassion within me for the unhoused. Not long afterward, I became more than a witness, for a time I became homeless myself.
U First has made great strides since inception, to provide more than 500,000 children and families with basic hygiene products, and other essential items helping them return to a place of dignity and self-respect.
Our current goal is to distribute more than 1 million items to those in need. With the purchase of a school bus, we can support and embrace children in communities that can use our help the most.
3. How does your organization collaborate with the local community to achieve its goals?
U First has 3 main programs:
Taking Love to the Streets – We believe everyone deserves the opportunity to have access to personal hygiene care. Our monthly outreach consists of distributing hygiene items, hydration, food, and more to people experiencing homelessness in the city of Atlanta and across 29 states.
U First Kidz – This program supports the effort to combat hygiene insecurity. The many requests for hygiene products we receive tell the story of thousands of young people and families without access to the essentials. This has a profound impact on their health and self-esteem. Supplying items like soap and deodorant gives them the confidence to succeed. U First has worked with more than 2,000 youth– including students on college campuses – to provide hygiene products such as soap, shampoo, deodorant, toothpaste, toothbrushes, and menstrual products. Our partners, sponsors and donors play a vital role in helping U First distribute essential hygiene products to the hundreds of thousands of youths and families experiencing hygiene insecurity across the state of Georgia.
Hygiene Education- In addition to lacking access to basic items, many young people lack knowledge about how to use hygiene products. U First works with public schools and youth-serving organizations to educate about health and proper hygiene.
4. What are some ongoing challenges your organization faces, and how do you address them?
We want to serve everyone in need, but we can only reach as many people as our time, energy and resources will allow us to. We are using every tool we have to grow the organization so we can serve everyone we encounter. We believe that by telling the story of U First, the stories of those we serve, and the stories of those who volunteer and support U First, we can raise awareness and continue to grow the organization. Our goal is to make a huge impact in the community and beyond.
5. As a proud partner, QTS is always excited to support your mission with our time, talent, and treasure. Can you describe any upcoming events or programs where community members can get involved in or support your organization’s work?
QTS has been a blessing to U First. We are grateful to partner with a corporation that holds our same core values. Our first project together was for Juneteenth 2022. Together, we assembled over 500 hygiene bags and since then, the relationship has blossomed. The new U First warehouse will be located on the premises of the QTS Data Center in Atlanta, Georgia. This major opportunity will give new life to a community that has been overlooked and sometimes forgotten.
The best way for community members to help U First is to raise awareness about our organization and the work we do in communities that need us the most. You can do this easily by telling others about U First and following us on social media. We encourage and inspire our community to connect withU First and be of service in some capacity for others. Lives are being affected by our core values of love, compassion, and empathy. No man is on an island and communities thrive when we are committed to love all of God’s children.
6. Could you share some recent success stories or impactful projects/initiatives your organization has undertaken?
The basic hygiene products U First distributes have an enormous impact on the health and self-esteem of those we serve and supercharge the work of our community partners.
Unfortunately, there are always more stories unfolding of people in need. U First has been extremely humbled to witness countless individuals we’ve assisted opening their doors to new homes. In many cases, we become extended family members to those we serve. We believe that our unique approach to personal hygiene care became the focal point to practicing good hygiene care during the pandemic.
In 2021, media mogul Tyler Perry donated a brand new 2021 Ford Transit Connect Van to U First. This generous donation paved the way for our work to appear in countless articles, and media outlets, including Good Morning America, BET, People Magazine, and other publications.
Our vision keeps us focused on always making a greater impact. That is what drives us to believe there are endless possibilities to help others.
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