Take a closer look at the street corner, the Walmart parking lot, and the popular downtown areas of the city, and you’ll see it. The overwhelming, unmet needs of the growing homeless population are hard to miss and even more difficult to address.
It’s easy to feel like there’s nothing you can do that could ever be enough, but there are actually plenty of ways to help. For example, a care package for the homeless could make a world of difference for someone in need!
Regardless of what you call them – care package, gift bag, or Blessing Bag, these bundles are easy to pack, quick to make, and extremely rewarding for everyone involved. Lucky for you, this blog contains everything you’ll need to know before getting started on your very own care package for the homeless.
Here’s What to Include in Your Care Package for the Homeless
While this isn’t a definitive list, it’s a great place to begin. The guide below contains a variety of care package ideas, outlining five separate gift-giving categories that would be great for the homeless population.
Hopefully, this information will help you maximize the blessing for someone in need of hope, kindness, and change.
1. Hygiene Products
Items that might seem commonplace to you can actually be quite difficult for others to obtain – especially without steady housing. That doesn’t, however, make these belongings any less valuable.
When creating your care package for the homeless, you should definitely include hygiene products like…
- Toothbrushes and toothpaste
- Hairbrushes
- Deodorant
- Wet wipes
- Nail clippers
- Other similar items
Essentially, you can use your own bathroom toiletries as a reference point – items you grab every day as you get ready!
Although cleanliness is often overlooked, it still represents a great need in the homeless population. Most of these people do not have access to showers, so they struggle to prevent the spread of disease and maintain a well-kept appearance. By including hygiene products in your care package, you can directly help them with these issues.
2. Everyday Necessities
As you’re preparing your blessing bag and brainstorming fun, new items to pack, don’t forget the absolute essentials: food and water.
These two items are hard to come by without a steady income, so many people live day-to-day, unsure where their next meal might come from or if it’s coming at all.
As you decide what food items to pack, keep nutrition and shelf life in mind. You’ll want to use items that can withstand all types of conditions, last a long time, and adequately nourish the body – all while tasting great! This is supposed to be a blessing, after all.
Once you’ve sorted out the food, make sure you include water bottles of some sort. This can seem like a less exciting component, but it’s even more important than the food. Many health issues can be avoided with proper hydration.
3. Items for General Health & Wellness
While these items might not immediately come to mind, they are great to include in a blessing bag. Unknown conditions and extended time spent outside can create unforeseen problems for the homeless population.
Between Chapstick, lotion, first aid kits, and sunscreen, your blessing bag can help someone avoid mild to severe discomfort.
Because the general public has easy access to these items, they seem inconsequential. However, people without a home may go long periods of time without them, causing harsh side effects on the body and creating easily avoidable problems.
Gifting these products could positively impact a difficult situation.
4. Products to Improve Living Conditions
You may not be able to give someone a home, but you can do your absolute best to improve their current living conditions.
There are tons of items that do exactly this. Take a look at these care package ideas including:
- Blankets
- Gloves
- Socks
- Public transportation passes (if applicable)
- Rain gear
- Flashlights
- Grocery store gift cards
- Researched list of additional local resources
Any number of these items would be helpful, so feel free to include more than one when you pack your blessing bag.
You may not be able to give someone a home, but you can do your absolute best to improve their current living conditions.
5. Sources of Encouragement
It’s easy to see the physical needs of the homeless population, but the emotional and spiritual ones often go unmet. That’s why encouragement is such an important part of each blessing bag.
This part can be general or more personal to you, so feel free to get creative! The following items are a great place to start: books, devotional content, Bible (or an individual book of the Bible), encouraging notes, and more.
Think back to a time in your own life when you needed support. What was it that helped you through that hard time? How can you replicate that resource for your care package for the homeless?
As long as you put some thought into your gift and consider all the options above, you’re sure to significantly bless someone who is struggling. Packing a blessing bag is quick, easy, and meaningful. You have no idea what your gift could mean to someone else.
Double Your Blessing Today
Say you take these care package ideas and create a really amazing gift, but yo
u want to do even more for the struggling populations. In this case, you might consider partnering with one of the organizations that help the homeless. Blessing Broker® works to distribute Blessing Bags both locally and across the globe.
When you give toward the Blessing Bag project, the team at Blessing Broker® will give a care package away while also sending you your own Blessing Bag to pack an additional care package. We will also include a Gospel of John Booklet for you to pack in your Blessing Bag. This opportunity is great for those looking to maximize their impact and sow their seed in a bigger capacity while sharing the love of Jesus with others. You can get your very own Blessing Bag today by going to our donate page and choosing to double your blessing after selecting “Blessing Bags”.
For those of you still looking for additional ways and organizations to help the homeless and general population, Blessing Broker® partners with a number of ministries to provide aid to people all over the world. 100% of your designated donations go toward the cause you care about most when you give with Blessing Broker®.
