Healthier Communities

Clean the World and Thermo Fisher volunteers support communities hard hit by natural disaster

By Jess King

Communications Manager

Hair shampooed. Teeth brushed. Body cleansed. It's easy to forget how simple daily hygiene rituals help one feel prepared to face whatever challenges the world throws at us — until it becomes more difficult.

That was the case for Kelly Mayer in late September 2024, when catastrophic flooding from Hurricane Helene ravaged parts of Asheville, N.C., where she lives and works. Homes and personal belongings were destroyed, and people were left without utilities for weeks.

Kelly, a senior manager in talent management at Thermo Fisher Scientific, spent two weeks without running water or power.

Like many in the city at the time, she had to take showers at the gym or a friend’s house miles away. Hygiene packets of soap, shampoo, toothpaste and other essentials, provided by the nonprofit Clean the World and distributed at her office, meant one less thing she had to worry about and helped her prepare herself for the day ahead.

Thermo Fisher employees in Asheville, N.C., which was hit by a devastating hurricane, receive kits from Clean the World.

The kits were also a reminder of humanity and kindness in a troubling time.

 

"The hygiene kit donations after Hurricane Helene provided essential items that we often take for granted but are so important for comfort, cleanliness and dignity during a challenging time,” Kelly said. “The kind gesture was a reminder of the power of community and compassion as our beloved city recovers!" 

 

Earlier this fall, with Asheville still in recovery, needs for personal hygiene products continued. Clean the World, an organization that Thermo Fisher and employee volunteers have supported for several years, continued its support, sending hundreds of kits to the community.

Clean the World was founded in 2009 to repurpose unneeded hotel soaps and other amenities by giving them to individuals faced with difficulties such as homelessness. Over time, the nonprofit expanded to also help communities in times of disaster and crisis.

 

Clean the World relies on thousands of volunteers and donors to fulfill its mission.

 

Since 2022, Thermo Fisher employees have partnered with the nonprofit, assembling more than 50,000 hygiene kits. Thermo Fisher’s Corporate Community Impact Grants provide funds for the company’s Community Action Councils (CACs), comprised of volunteers, to buy supplies for the kits they pack.

 

Volunteers handwrite notes of encouragement to include in the kits, with messages such as “You are not alone. Say strong!”

 

Clean the World and its delegates then donate the kits to homeless and women’s shelters and other charities across the U.S. 

The Franklin Pantry in Franklin, Massachusetts, is a recipient of the kits.

“Personal care items, such as feminine products and shampoo, can be expensive and are not covered by SNAP (formerly known as food stamps),” said Tina Powderly, executive director of Franklin Food Pantry.

“Many people face a daily dilemma of deciding between heat, eat, or health. Alleviating the financial burden of purchasing hygiene products assists individuals and families with allocating their resources toward other needs.”

Volunteers from about 20 Thermo Fisher locations pack hygiene kits for Clean the World, sometimes providing help close to home.

Rich McNeill, who works for Thermo Fisher in Franklin, Massachusetts, and his colleague, MF Leopold an analytical chemist in Pleasanton, California, are two of the project champions who coordinate volunteer packing events.

Rich, a technical application specialist, said he cares deeply about giving back and helping those without housing.

“I just believe we should look out for and provide help for our neighbors,” he said, noting that his religious faith guides him.

He has organized quarterly team-building sessions during which volunteers have packed more than 10,000 kits in 2024. 

Rich McNeill delivers hygiene kits to Gilly House, a non-profit sober house, in Wrentham, Massachusetts.
Volunteers write short handwritten notes of encouragement to go with the kits.

MF has been a cornerstone of community service at the Pleasanton site. Although assembled kits can be sent to Clean the World for distribution, MF took action to distribute them directly to local organizations in her area, including those supporting people with disabilities or affected by domestic violence, as well a local church that offers weekly shower and laundry services to the houseless.

 

Both MF and Rich attest to the profound impact these kits have on recipients.

 

"It’s a week’s worth of stuff,” MF said. “What they really need is 52 weeks of stuff and a place to live, but we’re giving them one week of essentials so they can feel good."

 

 “They are especially useful for the newly arrived, the people that have come recently from Haiti and from other countries staying in hotels," Rich said.

 

Madison Ayache, vice president, CTW (Clean the World) Events, said the organization has loved working with Thermo Fisher and was pleased to see the shipment of hygiene kits come back full circle with distribution to company employees in Asheville after the hurricane.

 

 “It’s been a successful model with Thermo Fisher,” she said. “People often just need a little extra support with things we take for granted every day.”

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