Book of Dreams: North Highlands ministry wants to provide hygiene kits for the homeless

Jason Aparicio, 56, looks through the bag of toiletries he just picked up at the North Highlands Christian Food Ministry on Watt Avenue. With a lilt in his voice, he lists off each item he is getting: soap, facial wipes, deodorant, a razor and a toothbrush and toothpaste.

“Really, it’s a beautiful thing. I don’t want to be a stinky homeless guy,” he says with a laugh.

Originally from Southern California, Aparicio moved here eight years ago to get work.

He said he takes medication for a mental health condition that has kept him from holding a job. He parks his car in a different spot and rests there every night. He spends his days driving around and sometimes finds a place to clean up.

“Sometimes I go to El Dorado Hills, or West Sacramento or downtown Sacramento. It just depends,” he said.

One thing is for sure, he says. He planned on getting cleaned up in time for the holidays.

That brings joy to the heart of Michael Winn, a retired General Motors worker who volunteers his time as operations manager of the Food Ministry. He wants toiletries to be a reliable addition to the services the ministry offers in 2021.

Obtaining enough kits for 12 months is his goal, and he is hoping Book of Dreams readers can help make that a reality by contributing $8,000.

“We see some regulars come here, and we get new homeless people coming all the time because our place is close to Watt Avenue where they hang out,” he said.

In the past, before COVID-19, plenty of donations of small toiletries arrived at the ministry. But now the dozen volunteers who spend their time helping have to use their own money to chip in for the hygiene items. Because they care.

The facility, at Watt Avenue and Freedom Park Drive, is open three days a week to serve low-income and homeless people from the North Highlands, Foothill Farms and Antelope areas. Started more than 40 years ago as a food closet in the First Baptist Church dedicated to helping Air Force families, the facility has since moved to its current quarters to provide plastic bags of food for needy individuals and families.

Luckily, the organization has good sources for obtaining nutritional food for the roughly 2,100 families that visit the facility each month. Of those, about 200 are unsheltered individuals and families.

But it doesn’t have the resources to acquire the hygiene kits or additional needed items, like socks and warm gloves.

Society laments the fact that so many people don’t have a roof over their heads, says well-known homeless advocate Sister Libby Fernandez, but she says keeping their hygiene up is another huge problem.

Fernandez has had a quarter-century worth of experience serving those experiencing homelessness and she has seen a lot in her 20 years as the director of Loaves and Fishes in downtown Sacramento and more recently as the executive director of Mercy Peddlers, an organization she founded whose volunteers use bicycles to bring needed supplies to those living on the streets.

“Lack of health and cleanliness compromise their immune systems,” she said. Lack of access to a toothbrush can put them at risk for tooth decay.

“Many don’t have dental care and if they have to go to emergency care, their teeth are removed, which makes it more difficult to chew,” she said. Infrequent showering can cause skin problems, even abrasions under the folds of skin, especially for heavy people.

“And it is not easy to get to a shower,” she added. “They are lucky to get a shower once a week.”

Whether those experiencing homelessness come into a shelter, food bank or get a hygiene kit on the street, the miniature soaps, shampoos, mouthwash and other items in “hotel” sizes, are a big deal, Fernandez said.

“You should see when they get a special bag,” she said. “It is like ‘wow, the whole bag?’ It is like Christmas in July, and a very useful gift at that.”

This story was originally published December 11, 2020 at 5:00 AM.