About us

A charitable organization dedicated to providing personal care items to the homeless. At Guardians of Hope, our mission is to serve with dignity, ensuring that the homeless population is treated with respect and compassion. We believe in making a positive impact on the lives of those in need by offering essential personal care items that can help restore a sense of dignity and hope.

Our motivation to take action:

Just weeks before the Covid-19 pandemic changed all our lives, we moved our family to a new home in an highly sort after area of New Jersey that included trendy restaurants, boutique stores and a breathtaking backyard view of New York City. Then the pandemic hit hard, shutting down most of the city and nation. It was around that time we noticed not far from our house, down the road, behind a chain linked fence, into a small wooded path trailing down the side of a hill lived a small community of homeless people housed in makeshift shelters. After seeing this stark contrast of living especially during a pandemic it really drove home that these people often societies invisible and forgotten need as much compassion and assistance from the community as possible thus the idea and action of Guardians of Hope was born.

Facts

For most people, personal hygiene is simply a matter of walking into their bathroom and engaging in “washing up” and getting clean. The basic act of staying clean is something that people often take for granted in terms of feeling human and being healthy, and requires great resourcefulness for those experiencing homelessness. For people who live on the streets, maintaining proper hygiene and a sense of dignity is a time-consuming and dangerous endeavor.

Personal hygiene encompasses all of the daily routines that help keep your body clean. This includes regular healthy habits of brushing your teeth, washing your hair, washing your hands, cleaning your body with soap and water, wearing deodorant, and keeping your clothing clean. When people don’t have access to these products, certain consequences may develop ranging from social problems to serious diseases.

Proper hygiene and health are intimately interwoven, and poor hygiene is an inevitable result of homelessness. As compared with people who have homes, homeless persons are more likely to have dermatological problems, functional limitation, seizures, obstructive pulmonary disease, foot pain, and decayed teeth. Additionally, people who spend most of their time outside are at high risk for immersion foot, cuts leading to infection, and hypothermia during the cold and rainy periods. The risk of death is increased eightfold in people who experience these conditions.
Cellulitisis a common, potentially serious bacterial skin infection. Left untreated, the spreading infection can rapidly turn life-threatening. Cellulitis occurs when bacteria, most commonly streptococcus and staphylococcus, enter through a cut or break in your skin, however cellulitis is completely preventable with access to proper lotions.

Bacteria, Viruses, and Parasites are the primary inhabitants related to poor hygiene and they are the ones that cause deadly infectious diseases. These deadly germs use the human body as a host for reproduction and multiplying in no time thereby forcing the body succumb to their act. Maintaining good hygiene is the best way to protect from parasites, viruses, and bacteria.

Diarrhea is the most important public health problem directly related to sanitation. The simple act of washing hands with soap and water can cut diarrheal disease by one-third. Diarrhea causes a person to lose both water and electrolytes, which leads to dehydration and, in some cases, to death.