15 June 2023
WICHITA, Kan. (KSNW) — The KSN Summer Road Trip team is returning to Wichita Friday afternoon. The team will be at Old Town Square from 3 until 6:30 on June 16.
Our crew would love to meet as many people as possible and do a good deed at the same time. They will be holding a Dignity Drive for an organization called Giving the Basics Wichita. So, come out and say hello to our team, watch as they go live on KSN News at 4, 5, and 6, and, if possible, bring an item to donate. If that time doesn’t work, come by the KSN studios between 1:00 p.m. and 4:00 p.m. to drop off an item.
Giving the Basics is a non-profit organization that gives basic hygiene items to people who can’t afford them. The items are things that are not covered by government assistance programs.
Megan Kice, the Wichita chapter’s executive director, explained why the collection event is called a Dignity Drive.
“I think, you know, when you’re clean, and you have access to these things, you can use all of these products,” she said. “We just really hope that by having access to these things, no matter what your circumstances are, that that provides dignity for any individual, no matter what your circumstances.”
KSN wanted to be a part of the work Giving the Basics is doing. Friday proves to be the perfect day. Wichita is the final stop on our 2023 KSN Summer Road Trip. It is also a day that all Nexstar television stations take part in the Nexstar Founder’s Day of Caring, a chance to give back to the community.
Please, consider bringing some of these items to Old Town Square in Wichita Friday between 3 and 6:30 p.m. or to the KSN studios at 833 N Main Street between 1:00 p.m. and 5:00 p.m.:
Bar SoapBody washShampooConditionerDeodorantFeminine productsLaundry detergentLotionToilet paperToothpasteToothbrushesWipes
Kice said the products they need most vary from month to month.
“We always need deodorant. We always need toilet paper. Right now, we’re a little bit low on bar soap,” she said. “Anything else we receive hygiene-related, like diapers, hand sanitizer, things like that, we also distribute.”
The items can be full-size or travel-size. Giving the Basics Wichita will take the donated items and supply them to local pantries, non-profits, and schools.
“We distribute to all of our local schools. Currently, we’re serving Wichita, Derby, Maize, El Dorado, Haysville and some of the Augusta and Goddard schools,” Kice said. “Most of the time, we work with the school nurses, could be social workers, counselors, or school administrators, and they help get the products out to the kiddos that need.”
Giving the Basics Wichita also relies on volunteers. We got to speak to two volunteers who believe in what the organization is doing in the Wichita area.
“There’s many volunteer organizations out there, but there’s only a few that touch the community like this organization does,” said Susie Moran, a Derby volunteer. “As a woman, I could not imagine not having hygiene products or simple things in life that we take for granted. So dignity is a huge part of this organization.”
Volunteer Keli Stone of Wichita said there is nothing better than helping others.
“I love being able to help. I’m blessed to be able to afford the items that are here and just to be able to give back to the community for those that are not able to do that by themselves,” she said.
She emphasized that it is all about giving dignity to people.
“Nobody wants to be the kid that people made fun of when they were little because they couldn’t shower, or they didn’t brush their hair, or they couldn’t brush their teeth,” Stone said. “Growing up, you want to make sure that everybody has the same opportunity to excel, to be not remembered as that person but to be remembered for themselves, the accomplishments that they have, what they do, what they bring to the community, and not for something that sometimes is out of their control.”