How to Make a Hygiene Kit for a Mission Trip (About $3 Each)

What's in a hygiene kit

A towel. A sewing kit. Toothpaste and a toothbrush. A hair tie. Lip balm. A Gospel booklet.

• A towel
• A sewing kit
• Toothpaste and a toothbrush
• A hair tie
• Lip balm
• A Gospel booklet

Why it matters

From Don's account of what a trip does: "What may seem like ordinary items—a toothbrush, toothpaste, soap, lip balm, nail clippers, a comb, and a small towel—can become meaningful gifts to families who have limited access to these everyday necessities. They are practical reminders that someone they have never met cared enough to help."

How the team assembles them

Don's rule is in his own description of the preparation: "Every hygiene kit is assembled one item at a time." Kits are counted, recorded on the trunk inventory sheet, and packed by hand into fifty-pound trunks alongside Bibles, reading glasses and Gospel literature.

Hosting a kit-assembly day at your church

Step by step

1. 1

   Gather the items in bulk

   Buy or collect towels, sewing kits, toothbrushes, toothpaste, hair ties, lip balm and Gospel booklets in quantity — one of each per kit.

2. 2

   Set up one station per item

   Lay the items out in order along a table so each kit is assembled one item at a time, the way the Nichols team does it.

3. 3

   Seal each kit

   Place the completed set in a bag and seal it so it survives the trunk and the customs inspection intact.

4. 4

   Count and record

   Count finished kits into boxes and record the total for the trunk inventory sheet, which lists contents item by item.

5. 5

   Pack into trunks

   Pack the kits by hand into heavy-duty trunks at about fifty pounds each, ready to be checked through the airline.