WHBM

We did this for a while. had a collection box by the office entrance which various items that people remembered would toss odd things into. Very occasionally they would be put in a box and passed on.

Then it was decided that, to support the place in question, it would be much more straightforward for purchasing to just order a carton of 500 of the items and have them shipped there. Didn't cost much at all, was exactly the things they said they used (half the items never were), etc.

OskiBear

I usually keep the case itself as I tend to use them for electronics/cables/etc. However, all the contents are donated to a friend who runs a charity to assist local homeless. She usually comments on my Facebook check-ins with something to the effect of, "Yay, you're traveling - more toiletries!"

kb9522

I wonder if there is a company that will buy them and then resell... Why give something away for free if it's worth something to someone?

VH-RMD

Have been do so for years now.

Romelle

I've a neat-freak granddaughter that loves the containers. I'm MSP Delta-captive, so the containers match. She keeps them neatly rowed up in drawers with her little odds and ends in them - bracelets, hair doo-dads, make-up, etc. Different colored yarns tied to the zippers so she can tell at a glance which bag has what.

Quite a few of the contents we use.

The rest are set aside for an odd annual event I run. With a bunch of friends I do a "silent auction". We all bring things from home we haven't been using. Walk around and bid on things. Proceeds go to a local animal shelter. There also is a "free table" where I pile the kit contents. Besides my contributions, the others also put stuff on that table. Alcohol is involved. Things get sufficiently wild I'm not sure just who gathers up what, but at the end of the event, the table is usually bare. All the kit contents are always gone.

lhrsfo

For those in the North Bay in California, I should imagine they would come in useful for everyone who has lost their homes, or is currently in an evacuation shelter. I just don't know who would be organising this.

JC1976

Thanks for the replies, I took the kits to a shelter but I hope to give them away directly to people on the street in the future.

Amyw

Nursing homes often have residents who don’t have family or friends to provide some “nicer” toiletries. They really appreciate donations.