Wilmington Elementary CARES Drive Collects 4,329 Toiletry Items

WILMINGTON, MA — After a successfully drive collected 3,000 pairs of socks in 2018, students in before- and after-school care programs at Wilmington's elementary schools managed to up their numbers for their new drive in 2019. In their October toiletry drive, C.A.R.E.S. programs collected 4,329 items, to be donated to homeless shelters, safe houses, and food pantries. The collections were given to Wilmington resident Paula Borges-Stalker to deliver.

"We were looking for different opportunities to help out the community," said Jessica Hanafin, C.A.R.E.S. site coordinator at Shawsheen Elementary. "Each year the schools want to do a different drives."

"Toiletries are my least donated item. when people think of donating to the homeless, they usually think of clothes and warm blankets. toiletries tend to get overlooked," said Borges-Stalker, who also collected the 2018 sock drive. "This is huge for me to get all these toiletries. I'll be able to donate them to shelters and safe houses as well as a food pantry in Everett. It will literally benefit thousands."

The drive ran from Oct. 1 to Thursday, Oct. 31. Shawsheen Elementary donated 1,240 of the items, Hanafin said on twitter.

"It was a great turnout. The families and kids were very into it," she said.

"This town is just incredible," said Borges-Stalker. "I'm stunned. I really am. It's inconceivable that 4,100 pieces of toiletries were gifted to me. It's just incredible. I'm just honored."

Borges-Stalker explained that when you're living on the street, or in a shelter, toiletries are one of the absolute essentials, alongside clothing and blankets, and they're usually not at the top of mind for do-gooders. And while homeless shelters run their own drives, safe houses, which try to keep their locations secret, cannot.

"When women show up at safe houses, they only come from two places, a police station or a hospital. It's an emergency situation and they really just have their clothes on their back. You want the comforts of home, a toothbrush, toothpaste, deodorant. You don't think of it but it's such a huge thing," Borges-Stalker said.

She was also excited that young children who attend the CARES program got involved.

"They were having little competitions with each other on which school could do the most. Starting these kids off at a really young age to be selfless and give back, it's a big lesson," Borges-Stalker said. "Here in Wilmington, there's very little poverty, so you kind of forget what's out there."

Borges-Stalker, who has been called the "diaper queen," collects and distributes much-needed things like diapers and toiletries that are not covered by government benefits, all out of her garage. She told CBS Boston that she has distributed over a million diapers.

Christopher Huffaker: 412-265-8353 or chris.huffaker@patch.com.