Everyday essentials are needed from day one—and beyond.
Your support helps provide personal care essentials for women and families in shelters.
Provide Essentials to NYC Shelters
Everyday Essentials Matter from Day One
When a mother or family enters a shelter, access to basic personal care items can become an immediate need. But that need may continue well beyond the first few days.
The First Days in Shelter
During the first days in shelter, families may need basic items such as shampoo, toothpaste, menstrual products, and other personal care essentials.
The First Steps Toward Safety
In New York City, families with children enter the shelter system through a set process:
1) Call Homelessness Hotline.
2) Complete an intake at the PATH center.
3) Answer questions and provide documents.
When a mother or family first enters a NYC women’s shelter, the first 72 hours are critical.
Shelter Entry & Life Inside
In 2024, an average of 19,148 families with children stayed in New York City DHS shelters each night.
(NYC DHS, 2024)
On one 24-hour day in the U.S., hotlines received 23,348 contacts—almost 973 contacts every hour.
(NNEDV, 2024)
On a single night in 2024, 771,480 people were experiencing homelessness in the U.S.
(HUD AHAR, 2024)
Shelters offer protection, stability, and a place to breathe.
But they are designed as short-term, temporary housing—not a permanent home.
Supporting Single Mothers in NYC Shelters
Many mothers entering shelters are working hard to rebuild stability for themselves and their children. They are determined to create a better future for their families, but starting over often comes with unexpected challenges.
During this transition, limited access to basic necessities such as diapers, hygiene products, and everyday essentials can add additional stress, making it harder for mothers to focus on finding stable housing, employment, and long-term solutions.
Through essential supplies and compassionate support, GFoundation helps single mothers in NYC shelters access the resources they need during challenging transitions.
With sustainable support, mothers can move forward with greater confidence, stability, and hope.
How We Support Women and Families in Shelters
Our support helps women and families access everyday essentials as they work toward greater stability.
- We work directly with local shelters serving women and families.
- Through your donations, partner shelters receive essential items such as diapers, wipes, hygiene products, and clean clothing.
- We also support single mothers through essential supplies, seasonal events, and gifts.
Our Women’s Shelter Programs
Stories & Resources
“I felt like someone finally saw us.”
“We had nothing, and then suddenly we had what we needed to keep going.”
“These small items gave me courage to start again.”
These real moments remind us that even simple acts of care can spark real change—and that every contribution helps restore dignity, hope, and stability for another family.
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Listening to Residents and Improving Shelter Support When GFoundation launched its Initial Hygiene Kit Program, the goal was simple: to help mothers and families entering shelters access essential personal care…
Sometimes We Want to Help, But We Don’t Know Where to Start When we learn that someone around us is raising children on their own, many of us want to…
FAQ
Q. Who is supported by this program?
Mothers and families newly entering women’s shelters, prioritizing households with children.
Q. What is included in the Initial Personal Care Kit?
Each kit contains essential hygiene and personal care items: shampoo, body wash, toothpaste, toothbrushes, deodorant, lotion, menstrual pads and tampons, hand sanitizer, tissues, lip balm, cotton swabs, face masks, and a handwritten encouragement card.
Q. Which shelters are served?
Currently supports partner women’s shelters and transitional housing facilities across NYC and NJ. Expansion planned to additional shelters in the region.
Q. How does the program operate?
Kits are assembled and distributed through contributions from individual donors, corporate partners, community donation drives, in-kind gifts, and volunteer events.
Q. How can I support this program?
Contribute via a one-time donation or become a monthly donor to help fund kit preparation and distribution, providing essential hygiene and baby items to families in shelters.
| Keep Essential Support Going
- Become a Monthly Donor – Help women and children in shelters rebuild their lives with safety and stability.
- Make a One-Time Gift – Provide essentials and comfort for families seeking refuge today.
- Give In-Kind Donation – Send hygiene kits, baby items, or other daily necessities to shelters in need. [link]
