Utah company to send 7,000 hygiene kits to Ukraine

Salt Lake City, Utah — With organizations around the world to help those in Ukraine suffering from the conflict, a Utah company is coming together.

Lifetime Products CEO Richard Hendrickson every year brings his employees together for a day of service as a way to give back to Utah communities. The service project is also an incentive to help employees receive a percentage of the company’s profit-sharing.

“You get 3,000 people together working on the same task and the same goal, and it’s amazing what you can accomplish,” said Hendrickson.

For 2022, Hendrickson and his employees are reaching out to their neighbors across the world by making hygiene kits for Ukrainians. “These care kits have hygiene kits in them, socks, shirt, food, a variety of items that we have found out people are in need of,” said Hendrickson.

Care kits are not needed at the Polish border, but Hendrickson has partnered with a non-profit organization that will take the kits directly into Ukraine.

According to Michael Capponi, the founder of The Global Empowerment Mission, the kits are helping those who have decided to stay during the conflict. “Those people have no resources right now,” said Capponi. “There’s no power, there’s no electricity, there’s no water. They don’t have anything.”

Even more than the need to give and provide for these people, Capponi’s team are local Ukrainians giving back to their own people. That’s what Capponi’s nonprofit focuses on: Having locals build up their own community. “What’s good about having Ukrainian locals deliver those is they know where Grandma lives,” said Capponi. “They know where these people live.”

97,000 individuals have donated to organizations partnering with The Global Empowerment Mission since February. 3,000 pallets full of supplies arrived in Ukraine from the U.S., with more on the way.

According to Caponi, cash donations for medical supplies, fuel, and other necessities are what’s needed most. Yet, The Global Empowerment Mission will take collected donations at certain drop-off locations listed on its website. “I know that people really care and that’s what’s incredible about our country,” said Capponi. “There’s nothing like America when it comes to helping others.”

The message of support almost speaks more than the donations. “I hope that this provides just a little bit of relief for thousands of people who are really, truly struggling in ways that many of us can’t even imagine here,” said Hendrickson.

In 48 hours at Lifetime Products Inc., about 7,000 hygiene kits were created.

According to Hendrickson, he is also donating money for the freight expense to send the kits to Ukraine.