Members in CGI offices throughout the greater Denver, Colorado area have found a unique way to give back to their community through a program called Toiletries from Travelers. On an ongoing basis, members collect toiletries from their travels and donate them to local charities.

When traveling, whether for business or pleasure, members are encouraged to bring home extra shampoo, soap, mouthwash or any other complimentary items that they do not use during a hotel stay. While the program is focused on travel-sized items, donations of any size are welcomed. Many members donate toothbrushes from the dentist or items picked up during buy-one-get-one-free sales.

Donations to non-profits are made when the collection boxes reach capacity or when there is an urgent need in the community. Past recipients of donations from the Toiletries from Travelers program include various food banks, as well as emergency response crews that assist individuals who have been displaced from their homes after a natural disaster. In 2013, 55 pounds of toiletries were donated, for example, to help the more than 500 people affected by the Black Forest wild fires in Colorado.

Consultant Pam Hintz, who coordinates the program, is optimistic about its expansion to other CGI offices: “I think it is an important and easy program to start.  In the last year, we were able to donate more than 1,300 toiletry items to people in need with very little effort and little to no expense.  The simple act of providing someone with the opportunity to clean up is such a gift, and helping provide for our neighbors in need is a vital part of being a productive member of the community.“