Local Woman To Honor Those Lost To COVID-19

Loch Arbor resident Stacy Wiener is honoring those who died due to COVID-19 by donating 820 soap sacks to homeless shelters by Sept. 1. Soap sacks are hand-knit or crocheted by Wiener and some of her generous helpers. (Photo courtesy Supporting A Community with Kindness)

  MONMOUTH COUNTY – The Founder of Supporting A Community with Kindness (S.A.C.K.) has made a pledge.

  Stacy Wiener plans to donate a total of 820 soap sacks to homeless shelters, food pantries and social service agencies in Monmouth County by Sept. 1.

  That total represents one soap sack for each person who tragically died from COVID-19 in Monmouth County as of this article’s printing.

  Wiener is a Loch Arbor resident and explained the purpose of a soap sack saying, “it’s a knitted or crocheted pouch, approximately 4×6 inches in size, that includes a full-size bar of soap. They can be used as a washcloth or simply for storage of the soap to keep it clean.”

  She founded S.A.C.K. as a 501c3 nonprofit organization. It has been making and donating soap sacks to those in need since 2017. What started as a small, grassroots movement, has grew into a network of volunteers in all 50 states, as well as Europe, Asia and Australia. This

amazing group of knitters and those who crochet donate their soap sacks to homeless shelters, and food pantries.

  The group also aids veterans’ clinics and social service agencies all over the world. “Since its inception, this incredible community has donated over 100,000 soap sacks globally,” Wiener said.

  She added that “most people are not aware that basic toiletries, such as soap, cannot be purchased with food stamps. Therefore, the need for these items is essential, especially during this current pandemic.”

  Wiener said, “personal hygiene is critically important at this uncertain time, and soap sacks are filling a more important need than ever before.”

  “We’re donating the bar of soap, but the handmade sack, which includes a tag explaining where they came from, provides a heartfelt addition that our recipients truly appreciate. Our soap sack donations help to send a message of dignity, hope, compassion, health and love…. all life-affirming emotions that can restore a person, both physically and mentally,” Wiener said.

  She added that since April, “I have donated over five hundred soap sacks throughout Monmouth County. I am proud to say that I will definitely meet my goal of 820 by September.”

  “We are all mourning the loss of these 820 lives, and by donating soap sacks to those in need, it is my way of honoring them,” Wiener said.

  She previously noted that she had donated over 3,000 soap sacks to shelters and pantries in both Monmouth and Ocean Counties, places such as Peoples Pantry, United Way, Salvation Army, and Interfaith Network. She has also donated to Jersey Shore Rescue Mission, Bridges Program, and Bradley Pantry, Volunteer of America (Binghamton, NY), St. Paul’s Methodist Church (Kensington, Maryland) and Broad Street Ministry (Philadelphia).

  She noted that of those who received the soap sacks, many told her that they never received toiletries before.

  Wiener donates a majority of her creations to places in Monmouth and Ocean counties but has also worked alongside other, larger organizations to put on soap drives. Organizations such as Girls Scouts, Boy Scouts, AT&T, Ace Gymnastics, and more, have helped her run soap drives, which have also help cut her costs.

  At the start of her project, the cost of the yarn and bars of soap reached about $200, she said. “During the first year, I spent several hundred dollars to buy additional soap and yarn. However, my cost has dramatically been reduced since people are organizing soap drives and are sending me soap sacks,” she added.

  In each hand-knit sack, there is a bar of soap and a personalized tag. Some knitting and crocheting groups have also pitched in to help Wiener make the sacks. She noted that she donates at least 50 soap sacks every week.

  In a prior article of The Howell Times Wiener said, “Some want to knit/crochet the sacks and send them to me so that I can donate them in my area while others plan to donate their soap sacks, with a bar of soap, to food pantries and homeless shelters in their own communities,” she said.

  Wiener’s initiative has grown exponentially since she first began, and since its origin, almost 5,000 soap sacks have been distributed all over.

  “I started a movement and couldn’t be happier!” she added. She hopes that her work will inspire others to contribute or even join in on her project.

  “It is my hope that the momentum of this soap sack movement continues indefinitely,” she said. “I would be thrilled if crocheters/knitters all over the United States would donate soap sacks…in their own communities,” Wiener said.

  For more information on S.A.C.K. e-mail Wiener at kristin@soapsacks.com, the organization’s website, soapsacks.com, on Facebook at facebook.com/soapsack and on Instagram at instagram.com/soapsacks.