This is a Happy Box! It is a collection of toiletries and beauty products I have put together and it will be sent to a main distribution point, then sent to a woman in a remote community.
It has some essential items like sanitary pads and tampons, soap, toothpaste, deodorant etc and some more luxury type items like body wash, body moisturiser, journals etc.
I came across The Happy Boxes Project when I was looking for a not for profit organisation to support on an ongoing basis through both Planning With Kids and Adapt Drinks. I felt they aligned perfectly with both businesses and reached out and asked if it was okay if I included them on my sites as an organisation I support and they were happy for me to do so!
I would love it, if you have the resources, that you could also support this fabulous organisation. Read on to find more about their purpose and what they do and how you can get involved.
The Happy Boxes Project
(Image The Happy Boxes Project)
The Happy Boxes Project was created by Emma Sullings after she spent five years working, living and learning in remote communities in the Northern Territory and realised that many women in remote Australia are going without basic toiletries.
Accessibility to simple items like deodorant, shampoo and soap prove challenging when the closest store can be up to 1000km away. Some communities are at the end of 750km of harsh, red dirt roads. Others can be cut off by flood waters for months at a time. Some are only accessible via boat or plane. Some communities may be lucky enough to have a small store, but the prices of basic items are exuberant.
The Happy Boxes Project aims to:
- Support the empowerment of women through alleviating the barriers of accessing basic needs,
- Provide opportunities for women to build capacity for individual and community development; and
- Provide opportunities for women to share story and create connection to nurture positive mental health.
What is a Happy Box?
A Happy Box is a collection of toiletries and beauty products put together and sent to a woman in a remote community. The purpose a Happy Box is to not only provide access to women who would otherwise go without, but to spread kindness and happiness. As the team at Happy Box note:
“The ritual of putting together a Happy Box can and should be performed with love and intention, not just for its recipients but for the wonderful person creating it. The Happy Process is unique to other charities, as there is a direct and intimate connection between the person donating and the person receiving, with very little people in between. When you donate a Happy Box, you know you’ve made a beautiful difference.”
How you can support The Happy Boxes Project
There are three ways you can get involved and support Happy Boxes:
- You can build your own Happy Box and send it off – see here for ideas on what to include and where to send it.
- You can set up a subscription so a Juuni Happy Box will be automatically sent to the lovely folk at The Happy Boxes Project every 3 months. Adapt Drinks is choosing this option and as we grow we hope to be able to donate more boxes. Click here to find out more and sign up.
- You can give a donation directly to The Happy Boxes Project here. Donations help The Happy Box Project Team to purchase and post specific products that are inaccessible as well assist with admin fees that enable the project to run smoothly.
Where do the Happy Boxes go?
The Happy Box Project has now grown to support more than 50 communities, over four states – you can see the locations here. In each location resides a Happy Box Coordinator. Their role is to receive your Happy Box and pass it on to whoever in their community needs it most. The team at The Happy Box Project are guided by the coordinators and trust that they know the needs of their community best.
“Matriarchs are the backbone of our communities, Mothers, Sisters, Aunties, Grandmothers; all trying to support their families in adverse circumstances, quite often pouring from an empty cup. If just one Happy Box can fill one person’s cup, then what we do is more than worthwhile.” The Happy Boxes Project