Sometimes all you want is to strip off the day by taking a shower.

Tim Reichel, Disaster Program Manager, shows off a crate full of REDBUDSUDS shower bars with artisan Aubrey Helmuth Miller and Kim Kroh, Stark and Muskingum Lakes Executive Director. The bars will be included in comfort kits for local disaster clients.

That is especially true for those who experience a disaster such as a home fire.

When Red Cross volunteers respond to the scene, the affected individuals immediate needs are assessed. Will they have access to shelter, food and clothing? Are there any other needs, like eyeglasses or medication, that were lost during the event?

Very often, before volunteers leave, the families will be handed a small bag with “Compliments of the American Red Cross” printed on it. The contents of which can help them begin to feel a little better. These items – shaving cream, razor, toothbrush, shampoo, soap – will help wash away the day so that they can start to focus on their recovery.

Aubrey Helmuth Miller, a Canton-area artisan, wanted to find a way to use her craft to contribute to her community. She took the trimmings of her natural REDBUDSUDS soaps, that would have been discarded as part of the process, and tucked them in to a small muslin bag and brought them to Disaster Program Manager, Tim Reichel at the Stark and Muskingum Lakes Chapter.

While her original intention was to provide clean comfort to those affected by the storms in the southeast, she saw that her soap could make a bigger impact here, in her own community.

Now each family and individual that receives a Red Cross comfort kit, will also receive a satchel of clean comfort courtesy of REDBUDSUDS and Aubrey.

Thank you, Aubrey!