MOOSE JAW — Moose Jaw’s first responders and emergency services organizations are teaming up to collect hygiene items for youths to ensure they can maintain proper health while learning in school.
The Moose Jaw Police Service (MJPS), the Moose Jaw and District Fire Department, Moose Jaw RCMP, Medavie Health Services West and the Saskatchewan Conservation Officer’s Moose Jaw office have joined forces to acquire these necessary health items.
The hygiene drive commenced on Dec. 6 and runs until Wednesday, Jan. 15, 2025. Residents interested in donating unopened items can drop off the products at any of the five organizations’ headquarters.
The police service works closely with Prairie Â鶹´«Ã½AV and Holy Trinity Catholic school divisions and learned from them recently that some youths in The Friendly City — across all economic strata — lacked these critical health-care items, said Jay-D Haughton, the MJPS’s communications manager.
The police service and other emergency services organizations typically engage in a friendly competition during the Christmas season to collect winter clothing, socks and underwear as part of the “Fill the Squad Car” initiative, but this year, they decided to switch their focus to hygiene items, he continued.
Constables Jayme Hoffman and Kiana Perron from the police service’s community services branch are organizing this initiative.
Some health products that the five groups are accepting include deodorant, soap, body wash, shampoo, condition, face wash, toothbrushes, toothpaste, mouthwash, floss, razors, shaving cream, lotion, brushes, combs, cotton balls and swabs.
“We are a community police service and try to help out not only our community but the youth within it (and) getting those personal care products that they need to help them get through the day,” said Haughton.
“We’re very excited to put on this hygiene drive … and help out the youth in our community that might not have access to these personal care products.”
The police service and its partners want to collect as much as they can during this drive, so they have not set any goals compared to other initiatives they typically hold, he continued. Meanwhile, once the organizations have accumulated these personal care products, they will donate them to both school divisions and those institutions will distribute them throughout their schools.
“We really appreciate the first responders within Moose Jaw for partnering with us on this very important drive to help the youth in our community,” said Haughton. “It means a lot to us that the community is always there to support anything we do (with outreach initiatives) … .
Haughton added that residents began dropping off hygiene products at the police station only days after the announcement about the project, which he thought was heartening to see.
The police service is located at 21 Fairford Street West, the fire department has halls at 1205 Main Street North and 750 Lillooet Street West, the RCMP office is at 240 Saskatchewan Drive East, Medavie is located at 777 High Street West and the conservation office is at 206-110 Ominica Street West in the provincial court building.
