Dignity Starts With a Toothbrush: How The Community Resource Center Quietly Changes Lives in Middle TN
A toothbrush shouldn’t be a luxury. Discover how Nashville’s Community Resource Center restores dignity through simple acts of hygiene — and hope. Image: Community Resource Center
Clean hair. Fresh breath. Laundry that actually smells like laundry. These seem small … until they’re out of reach. Across Middle Tennessee, thousands of neighbors are forced to choose between paying a bill, buying food, or getting the hygiene items that help them work, learn, and live with confidence. That’s where the Community Resource Center (CRC) steps in.
Since the early days of posting a community “wishlist” in The Tennessean more than 35 years ago, CRC has grown from a small clearinghouse of donated goods into Tennessee’s only hygiene hub — supplying new, full-size essentials to schools, nonprofits, and faith partners across seven counties.
Donate $50 to the Community Resource Center. When you restore access to basics like shampoo, deodorant, and detergent, you restore something bigger: dignity.
From “Hard Needs” to a Human Right
What began as a Sunday “needs list” evolved into a warehouse-powered operation that moves brand-new products (not cast-offs) into the hands of people who need them most. In 2019, CRC drew a line in the sand.
“We really set out to be Middle Tennessee’s hygiene hub,” says Tina Doniger, CEO of CRC. “We’re the only one in the state, focused on … core products — shampoo, deodorant, toothbrushes, toothpaste, diapers and wipes, cleaning supplies, and laundry detergent.”
Then 2020 hit, and the work accelerated. Today, CRC supports approximately 100 partner organizations that extend access to roughly 500 locations across seven counties, powered by corporate donations (such as Earth Breeze, Colgate-Palmolive, and U by Kotex) and community gifts that fill the gaps.
One of the most touching stories was shared by a partner who works with unhoused students. The parents of a student were in the office, trying to get additional resources, and they had a toddler with them. The partner told the child they could pick out a toothbrush and lowered the bin so they could dig through it. We’ve got kids’ toothbrushes with Bluey or whatever the hot thing is, and toothbrushes in every color you can imagine.
So the child digs through and comes back with a red toothbrush — so super proud and excited about this toothbrush. And the case worker says, ‘Go grab one for your parents and your siblings, too.’ And the child said, ‘We share a toothbrush.’ That whole family was sharing a toothbrush.
~Tina Doniger
Fighting Shame With Choice
Poverty steals choices. CRC gives them back.
“People facing poverty don’t get a lot of choices,” Tina says. “I wanted someone to feel like they went to Target or Kroger, that they got to pick what that thing is that thrills them. So when we pack a shampoo case, it has three or four kinds of shampoo. It’s not just the cheapest kind. We’d rather pay a little extra to have that ability of choice.”
That philosophy, dignity through choice, ripples through every kit and cart. And sometimes, the smallest item reveals the deepest need.
“That’s what hygiene insecurity looks like in ‘IT City,’” shares Tina. “So, when we can hand every family member their own toothbrush — and full-size products, and detergent — it’s life-changing.”
Why Hygiene Access Changes Everything
Hygiene isn’t covered by SNAP. No government assistance pays for deodorant or detergent. And the fallout is real: missed work, missed school, and mounting shame.
“If you’re having a great hair day, you can show up and take that test,” Tina says. “You can walk through the door and have a great job interview. Sometimes that’s all you need to feel seen and served in a dignified way.”
CRC also tackles period poverty, which keeps students, especially girls, out of class. “One in four menstruating students in Middle Tennessee is going to skip a week of school,” Tina explains. “It becomes a cycle. We package products discreetly so kids can walk down the hall without embarrassment. Access changes attendance and confidence.”
“A parent came to me asking for laundry detergent. She’s a single mom of three children with lots of barriers that keep popping up as she works hard to support them. I’d just picked up detergent from CRC a day earlier and was able to give her plenty of detergent to get her through the next month or two. Without CRC, parents wouldn’t have such easy access to the essentials they’re not able to get themselves.”
~MNPS School Partner
How CRC Finds (and Serves) the Hidden Crisis
CRC doesn’t guess. They map out the need. Using census data, United Way’s ALICE data, and state TISA education data, CRC identifies hotspots and works exclusively with embedded community partners — the people “doing life” in each neighborhood.
“Our partners can rattle off neighbors who need help this month,” Tina says. “We don’t ask for IDs or documentation. We just want to know you’ve been served.”
Each week, 20 to 25 partners roll through a fast, volunteer-powered distribution. Monthly county routes bring deliveries to regional sites. And in times of strain, like a government shutdown, CRC doubles hygiene orders for food-serving partners, because the choice between food and soap shouldn’t exist.
“A $40 or $50 bill can snowball into eviction,” Tina says. “This feels like COVID 2.0 for many families. Hygiene access prevents bigger crises.”
Where Your $50 Goes
At CRC, $50 isn’t symbolic; it’s practical. Your gift helps:
- Stock full-size shampoo, deodorant, toothpaste, and soap so adults can work with confidence and teens can attend school with confidence.
- Buy laundry detergent so families aren’t washing clothes in the tub with dish soap.
- Keep period products available in schools so students can stay in class.
- Refill partner orders quickly when need spikes, including double hygiene orders for food pantries during crises.
- Every $50 gift becomes tangible dignity — the kind you can hold, smell, and wear into a classroom or job interview.
Powered by Neighbors
Beyond Nashville, Tina has helped build a small, women-led national coalition of hygiene banks to share opportunities and distribute products where they are needed most. Locally, CRC’s team has modernized inventory and distribution, enabling more neighbors to be served faster.
“Every dollar given to us is put right back into the community,” Tina says. “We’re buying product to send to partners we know need it. Basic needs allow everything else — education, employment, health — to flourish.”
Because in the end, CRC’s work is about small, consistent acts that add up to considerable, consistent dignity.
Donate $50 today to help the Community Resource Center fight shame, restore dignity, and change lives across Middle Tennessee.
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Jenna von Oy Bratcher
Jenna von Oy Bratcher is StyleBlueprint's Associate Editor and Lead Nashville Writer. The East Coast native moved to Nashville almost two decades years ago, by way of Los Angeles. She is a lover of dogs, strong coffee, traveling, and exploring the local restaurant scene bite by bite.