Reaching Incarcerated Women Through the Power of Collective Care
When the Alliance for Incarcerated Women (AIW) joined Simply the Basics’ Hygiene Bank Association (HBA), they brought with them a mission centered on dignity and opportunity for incarcerated women and their families. From day one, it was evident that their approach would reflect the best of what the HBA network is about, which is trauma-informed care, equity in access, and a commitment to systems-level change.
Building Hygiene Programs with Intention
With AIW joining as a new member of the Hygiene Bank Association, our first joint initiative provided support through more than 2,500 essential hygiene products for distribution at Crain Women’s Prison in Texas. This included shampoo, soap, and deodorant - basic items that many of us take for granted, yet can be deeply scarce in prison systems.
For AIW, these products weren’t just supplies but the start of something much larger. Their hygiene distribution is the first step in a long-term program focused on family reunification, personal growth, and reintegration support within the Department of Corrections. This is the kind of work that drives lasting change.
Why the Hygiene Bank Association Matters
Too often, hygiene distribution can happen at one time events only, be unsustainable, or disconnected from the deeper needs of a community. That’s why the Hygiene Bank Association exists. So we can support hygiene banks and nonprofit organizations with structure, resources, best practices, and hygiene grants and discounts so their efforts can be strategic and consistent.
AIW’s story is a perfect example of how the HBA helps programs:
Reduce the burden on staff and service providers
Reach underserved populations with quality supplies
Build long-term, intentional hygiene programs that go beyond a single distribution
Collaborate across sectors to advance systemic equity
One Person, One Product, Big Impact
We’re incredibly proud to support AIW and their efforts to serve incarcerated women which is an often invisible and underserved population. Basic care is never basic when it’s a lifeline to dignity, health, and community.
To our growing HBA network and all those who support our work… thank you for continuing to show up for your communities. Whether we are reaching people facing housing instability, incarceration, or poverty, the Hygiene Bank Association exists to ensure hygiene banks are not doing it alone.
Interested in connecting with your fellow Hygiene Bank Assocation Members? Check out the Member Directory HERE
