The hiip kit

So, what does it look like to give a hiipKit to someone in need? Our team (and some stellar volunteers) takes to the streets to connect with those who are often forgotten or ignored in our community. And, after talking to a few folks who spend their days in some of San Francisco's harshest areas, we've come up with a small solution to the lack of interaction we feel exists.

Each kit is loaded with conditioning shampoo, toothpaste, toothbrush, socks, lip balm, and sunscreen (I bet you didn't think we'd think of the sunscreen, did you?). We think these things are basic necessities and offering them to others gives us a chance to get to know them a bit better; if not that, we at least get to connect with someone we may have not had the chance to interact with before.

Want to know a little bit about the homeless issue in the United States? Here are a few stats we found alarming. Just think: by buying a cute new bag, you can participate in changing the situation for someone in your community. Imagine what it would mean to someone to receive something, a thoughtful kit, from someone they have never met, letting them know how special they are.

• 2,200 public school students in the San Francisco live without permanent housing (enough to fill an entire school)
• Families with children make up at least 35% of the national homeless population, the fastest growing segment
• It is assumed that nearly half of the nation's foster children will become homeless when released at the age of 18
• Over 50% of women are homeless due to domestic violence
• Noted by many as the homeless capital of the United States, San Francisco's homeless count reached 6,455 in 2011
• 3.5 million people will experience homelessness in a given year; 1.35 million will be children
• Following only New York City, Los Angeles, and Tampa, San Francisco has the highest concentration of homeless people in the country.