Prison Soap Drive

Just before I walked out of Washington State Prison, 20 years ago, I left a farewell letter on the bulletin board promising the ladies  that I would not forget about them.  I also said that I would come back to see them but I would be wearing "my own clothes",

 Initially Family Unification Network, Inc. (F.U.N,) a 501 (c) (3) non profit ministry, provided inmates packages at Christmas. This started during my incarceration when I met ladies who no longer received support from family or no other resource. I contacted my personal friends back home and they were instrumental in providing 26 inmates Christmas packages during my 1032 days of incarceration. One of the ladies who received a Christmas package had not received one in 17 years. 

 After my release, F.U.N.,  with the help of our volunteers, adopted inmates and fulfilled the Christmas  Wish Lists for 152 ladies. The average Christmas package donated held items (cookies, candy, hygiene products, socks, combs, etc.) worth $65.00

After ten years of providing Christmas packages  when the economy was in crisis and budgets were cut, F.U.N. was told that we could no longer donate the packages because the prison no longer had the staff to check packages for contraband. I asked what else could we do and  was told of the need for antibacterial soap because the "prison" soap was harsh and lacked the moisturizing ingredients that reduced facial dryness and irritation. I personally remember it well .......

For the past ten years, F.U.N. has provided Dial soap for the women and men incarcerated in prisons throughout the state of Georgia. We are blessed that our mainstay has been our partnership with Maximum Impact Love and First Corinth Missionary Baptist Church. And F.U.N. had recently partnered with the General Missionary Baptist Convention of Georgia which is comprised of 600 churches state wide as well as recognized by the Masons and Eastern Stars of Smooth Ashlar Grand Lodge.

These churches and chapters collected soap from its members and donated it to F.U.N. We then scheduled "packing parties" where we use a mailing label and paste a scripture on each bar of soap.  In the past, the project was called the Dial soap Drive. To date, F.U.N. has donated 406,634 bath size bars of Dial soap to 24 of Georgia's 33 prisons - each bar bearing a scripture to encourage and empower inmates.  After the soap has been prayed over and labeled, Prison Chaplains are notified and they come pick it up and take it back to the inmates. 

 This year F.U.N. has added Safeguard soap to the Dial soap and it is now called the "Prison soap Drive".  Our goal is to donate 55,000 bars of antibacterial soap to inmates. The Coronavirus has haunted our efforts to collect soap because church congregations no longer meet nor do the Lodge chapters have their meetings .

We all know, first hand, the disruption that has been caused by this Pandemic. The experts recommend that to prevent the spread of COVID-19, we should wash our hands, wear a mask and practice social distancing, But inmates are limited in what they can do to protect themselves and others, They are in prison and in many cases cannot wear masks nor practice social distancing. 

Your donations will make it possible so that they can at least wash their hands. Your assistance will help me keep my promise that I would not forget about them while they live behind the walls. Yes, they may be gone but they are not forgotten.

Appreciatively,

JoAnn Cash-Owens

Founder/Executive Director

Family Unification Network, Inc.