06/05/2026
My name is Kelly Anderson. I'm a married mom of three little girls. In December of 2025, I completed my MBA at Texas Woman's University.
But a lifetime ago, I was homeless. I have been extremely fortunate to have a loving, supportive family that was able to help me get back on my feet.
Not everyone has that luxury, and living outdoors is dangerous. My aim with this project is to make it safer.
In May, my husband's grandmother passed away after a battle with lung cancer. She was a wonderful, inspiring person. We attended her Celebration of Life. The minister who conducted the Celebration of Life spoke extensively about her community work, including homeless outreach. This got me thinking about ways I could help.
I thought about my own past, and what I may have found beneficial. I struggled with hydration and staying clean. There were organizations that provided meals, bottles of water, and showers. Others provided toiletries. I also thought about what I have witnessed, including unhoused people bathing in White Rock Creek, and trash left behind by encampments.
Washing with untreated creek water opens our unhoused neighbors up to potentially harmful bacteria. Texas summers are hot. Water bottles, while extremely helpful, are heavy and produce trash. Sometimes, these neighbors have access to water they receive at restaurants, and those cups also produce trash when brought back to encampments. What if there was a way to provide them with reusable, collapsible water bottles to use instead of bringing the cups back with them, and water purification tablets to treat creek water for washing (and in emergency situations, when clean water to drink can't be accessed)?
Many people don't have a towel, and traditional towels are slow to dry. The longer the dry time, the more potential there is for bacterial growth. Not to mention, the lack of access to laundry facilities. What if I could provide quick-dry towels?
Traditional shampoos, body washes, and detergents are not biodegradable. Camp soap isn't perfect, but it's multipurpose, which means fewer items to carry. It is biodegradable, so there's less contamination of creek water.
All of these items will produce trash, so along with the items I distribute, I will also provide a contact card so I can be reached to trade in used supplies for unused supplies.
No outreach program is perfect. But my intention is to provide our unhoused neighbors with supplies that will enable them to live safer outside, while reducing contamination of our environment.
It would be helpful if you could like this page, and share the GoFundMe.
Together, we can make an impact.
I am starting the Safer Outside Project, a community initiative to pro… Kelly Anderson needs your support for Safer Outside Project: Hydration & Hygiene Packs
