Nourishing a Healthy Home Goes Beyond Food

Support the Spring Cleaning Collection

The last stop for clients at NHCO’s Allison Park Food Pantry is often the longest. That’s the shelf containing a small collection of cleaning products. Because of the scarcity, there’s a limit of one item per household. The searching and deciding of what best fits a pressing need can take time. And, usually, the most desired product is not even there.

“Laundry detergent, after food, is the most frequently requested item in the pantry,” said Vicki Burstynowicz, NHCO Sharing Projects Coordinator. “It’s also among the least donated items.”

While SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) benefits can’t be used to purchase cleaning supplies, their role in preserving the health and dignity of low-income families is essential. Cleaning and disinfecting the home environment reduces the spread of communicable disease, lowering the chances of missing work or school due to illness. Clean clothing helps maintain the self-esteem and confidence necessary for daily interactions. The expense of these products, though, puts them out of reach for many families.

Vicki said that this lack of access can throw up barriers to engaging in routine activities, noting as an example, “A client who could not afford laundry detergent told me that her children didn’t want to go to school because they were embarrassed by their dirty clothes.”

To address this need, NHCO’s annual Spring Cleaning Collection has been putting cleaning supplies in the hands of food pantry clients for nearly a decade. Each June, families receive a bundle of products to keep their homes clean and healthy, including all-purpose cleaner, dish soap, toilet bowl cleaner, disinfecting wipes— and the always prized laundry detergent.

The 2026 Spring Cleaning Collection is taking place now through June 8. Vicki’s goal is to acquire enough products to make 500 bundles—one for each household served by the food pantry and a few extra available throughout the year to support families dealing with an unexpected move or having their home damaged from fire or flooding.

As with all sharing projects, NHCO is grateful to its generous community of supporters for the success of the Spring Cleaning Collection. To simplify transporting unwieldy bottles of products to NHCO, Vicki encourages ordering items from the Amazon Wishlist or Walmart Wishlist and having them delivered directly to the office.

However you choose to support the Spring Cleaning Collection, Vicki noted that every donation will make an impact. “I think it’s the sharing project most appreciated by our clients,” she said. “They are so excited when they get their products and can finally go home and clean.”

Learn how you or your organization can help the 2026 Spring Cleaning Collection meet its goals at NHCO.org/sharing-project-donations