Bridge to Basics: Hygiene Support Bonded by Friendship

Corner Conversations

Volunteers packing hygiene kits at Bridge to Basics

Friends Rana Khoury and Kristie Thibodeau turn shared commitment to volunteering into a bustling nonprofit.

By Chris M. Garner, Communications Specialist

Who would have known that a friendship that blossomed over 30 years ago would lead to a true nonprofit partnership?

Well, that was the case for friends Rana Khoury and Kristie Thibodeau, founders and co-executive directors of Bridge to Basics, a hygiene bank dedicated to collecting and distributing essential hygiene products to those in need.

The two met in the summer of 1990 when they were incoming freshmen at the University of Minnesota. After graduating and starting families, Rana and Kristie often looked for ways to spend time together, and the common activity was volunteering.

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The Importance of Hygiene Access

“What inspired me to start Bridge to Basics was Kristie, and I saw a need in the community, and we wanted to do something about it,” said Rana. “Initially, we just wanted to get together as two friends to volunteer, and we both realized an enormous need for hygiene in our community.”

Bridge to Basics provides full and personal-sized bulk hygiene products at no cost to nonprofit organizations in Minnesota’s seven-county metro area.

“Access to these products is truly the difference between showing up and stepping back,” Kristie said. “We found that one out of 10 of our neighbors were missing school, work or another community activity each month because they didn't have access to these products. That's significant.”

Meeting the Growing Needs

Since 2024, the organization has grown from serving five nonprofits to 70 in the seven-county metro area. A big part of that growth was due to Operation Metro Surge.

“When the Operation Metro Surge really started impacting things in December, we started welcoming more nonprofits because the community showed up to support our larger work with a lot of in-kind product donations. We went from supporting 20 nonprofits month-over-month to a network of 70,” said Kristie.

To better support their clients, Kristie and Rana enlist the help of volunteers who sign up in groups or individually to pull inventory and pack boxes and kits for distribution.

In addition to hygiene kits, the organization also provides family care bags filled with the hygiene necessities. Through these strong nonprofit partnerships, more than 75,000 hygiene products are given each month to neighbors struggling to access.

“We found that one out of 10 of our neighbors were missing school, work or another community activity each month because they didn't have access to these products. That's significant.”

Kristie Thibodeau, Co-Executive Director & Co-Founder

Support to Scale the Mission

One of the constant hurdles the organization faces is the lack of awareness of hygiene insecurity. Unlike affordable housing or food, personal care products are not covered by federal benefits programs or support. A lot of Bridge to Basics funding comes from community support and the corporate community, including bulk product donations, employee engagement and financial support.

With a grant from the Saint Paul & Minnesota Foundation, Bridge to Basics was able to keep up with the number of products it needed to successfully support the nonprofits it serves.

“You guys gave us a two-year, $60,000 grant in August of our first year when we had only done three distributions,” Rana said. “For the Foundation to trust us being so young and to believe in us to do this work was amazing.”

Inspired to Make a Difference?

Volunteer: Consider volunteering your time at a local food shelf or hygiene bank like Bridge to Basics. It's a great way to make an impact while having fun.
Donate: Consider donating to a hygiene bank like Bridge to Basics, whether it's dollars or a box of unopened detergent, soap, lotion or hair care products.
Hang Out with a Friend: Find something you both enjoy doing and make that a regular activity you do together. Who knows? That activity could turn into a business.

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About the Author

As communications specialist, Chris Garner supports the Saint Paul & Minnesota Foundation’s work by showcasing it to the community through words, photo, video and other media. Chris has a Bachelor of Arts in Communications from Alabama State University and a Master of Science in Journalism from Northwestern University.