The Kindness Closet was founded in 2018 and is committed to addressing hygiene poverty in North Carolina. Hygiene poverty is the inability to afford basic household and hygiene items that are not covered by government assistance such as deodorant, soap, feminine products, toilet paper, toothpaste and shampoo and laundry detergent.

 

Food banks and other services in the area do not have a consistent supply of basic household goods, so the Kindness Closet’s mission complements services already serving low-income populations. Additionally, the Kindness Closet is committed to fostering community service and engagement by having local groups and families assist with the gathering and distribution of the donations.

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Our History

The original Kindness Closet opened on November 7, 2018 in Academy Street Park.  It was founded by Little Helpers as a way to show that young people can make a huge difference in the community.  The Kindness Closet was incorporated in November of 2019.  Our next location, the Kindness Cupboard in the Mooresville Public Library opened in June 2020, under the same model as the Kindness Closet.  At the same time that word was spreading about this new resource for our neighbors and this new community service opportunity, the pandemic hit and exacerbated hygiene poverty for many.  The Kindness Closet @ Health Reach opened in March 2022, and the original closet was moved to inside the Christian Mission in April 2022.  The Kindness Closet has also partnered with Food for Days for a twice-annual hygiene kit for local children, a monthly hygiene kit for students in the Winnie Hooper after school program, and Third Creek Middle to alleviate period poverty for their students.  In August 2022, the Kindness Closet launched the Red Cart Project to provide period products to student in Iredell and Mooresville Graded School districts. This is a partnership with United Way of Iredell County.