PACKAGES

Now
Collecting
Supplies

WITH

PURPOSE

“I believe everyone deserves to live with dignity, and that means being able to care for yourself and feel good about yourself.

– Millie Winkler

The perfect package starts with listening.

I wanted to give people what they actually needed, so before I made my first packages, I volunteered with SELAH Neighborhood Homeless Coalition and talked directly with women experiencing homelessness and housing insecurity, and asked:

“What do you actually need?”

Their answers shaped every package.

THE ESSENTIALS

The everyday things people told us they need most.

  • Shampoo + conditioner

  • Body wash

  • Deodorant

  • Toothbrush + toothpaste

  • Floss

  • Comb

  • Band-Aides

  • Q-tips

  • Shaving supplies

But that wasn’t enough. I didn’t want to only include the basics people need to get by. I wanted to add a few things that might help someone feel good, cared for, and a little more loved.

THE
EXTRAS

Because everyone deserves more than just the bare minimum.

When I talked with women, I learned about the little things they wanted but rarely received — the things that aren’t always considered necessities, but can make everyday life a little nicer.

  • Lip balm

  • Sunscreen

  • Hair + body oil

  • Makeup

  • Hair styling products

  • Hair ties

  • Small snacks

  • Compact toilet paper rolls

  • Laundry detergent sheets

AND ONE MORE THING...

Every package comes with a letter from me, reminding the woman who receives it that she is loved.

SUPPORT SELAH

As part of my Tikkun Olam project, I volunteered with SELAH Neighborhood Homeless Coalition, where I was able to meet and talk with women experiencing homelessness and learn more about what they actually need.

SELAH is a Los Angeles-based nonprofit that works directly with unhoused and housing-insecure neighbors in Silver Lake, Echo Park, Los Feliz, Atwater Village, and Hollywood. Their volunteers provide weekly outreach and drop-in programs with essentials like meals, showers, clothing and hygiene supplies, while also helping people access services, replace IDs, receive mail and connect with additional resources.

Their work is focused at the neighborhood level — building relationships with people and providing consistent, ongoing support.

If you would like to support this work directly, you can make a tax-deductible donation to SELAH.

SELAH Neighborhood Homeless Coalition is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization.

HELP ME REACH MORE NEIGHBORS

I started Packages with Purpose by making my first hygiene kits with the things women told me they needed and wanted most. Now, I want to keep going!

You can help me make more packages by purchasing items directly from my Amazon Wishlist or contributing toward supplies through GoFundMe. Everything contributed to Packages with Purpose will be used to purchase supplies and create more kits for women experiencing homelessness or housing insecurity.

The more supplies I have, the more packages I can make — and the more neighbors I can help.

Packages with Purpose is a personal Tikkun Olam project and is not a 501(c)(3) nonprofit. Purchases and contributions made to Packages with Purpose are not tax-deductible.

I created Packages with Purpose as my Tikkun Olam project for my Bat Mitzvah.

Helping our unhoused neighbors is something I’ve been involved with for years. I’ve volunteered with organizations including the Hippie Kitchen, St. Francis Center, and Friends In Deed, and with my family I’ve helped donate to food banks, pass out breakfast burritos, coffee, and blankets, and buy extra food for people in need in our community.

For my Tikkun Olam project, I wanted to do something of my own. I spent time talking with women experiencing homelessness and the people who work with them to learn what they actually need and want. I used what I learned to create Packages with Purpose.

My goal is to keep making packages, keep them ready to give to women who need them, and keep finding ways to help people in my community.

Hi, I’m Millie Winkler!