In a time of crisis, there are always heroes that emerge. People that step up and want to help. Angie Bogardus and Lacy Crocker are examples of those community heroes.

Angie began making kits for the homeless with her daughter, Maliyah almost four years ago in Minnesota. When she moved to a suburb near Denver, Angie reached out to her best friend Lacy to see if she and her daughters wanted to take the operation to the next level. That’s when Sparkling Kindness was born. Now, a 501c3 nonprofit organization, Sparkling Kindness is dedicated to offering a glimmer of hope during one’s struggles and a light in one’s darkness.

“If we are able to give, we should,” Angie said. “We want to be a light in someone else’s darkness and help wherever we can.”

In 2019, Angie, Lacy and their daughters Maliyah, 9, Makenna, 12 and Gracie, 13 served more than 1,400 people. This year, they hope to help 2,020 individuals.

Once the first COVID-19 case was announced in Colorado on March 5, Angie and Lacy knew they had to swift Sparkling Kindness’ projects to focus on the coronavirus.

With healthcare professionals working overtime, individuals losing their jobs and families stuck in a variety of home situations due to the coronavirus pandemic, there’s a greater need for the necessities. In March, the Sparkling Kindness team made approximately 250 COVID-19 relief hygiene kits utilizing products on Good360’s catalog. Each bag contains a variety of items including lip balm, toothbrush, body lotion, body wash and a handwritten note of encouragement, packed by glove-wearing volunteers. These kits are distributed to reputable nonprofits and churches near Adams County in Colorado

Future projects include cosmetics beauty boxes for domestic violence victims identified by Adams County Victims Service and gratitude bags for hospital workers.

These kits are a lifesaver for many people including Betty*. She is a single mother of three and small business owner who had to shut down her enterprise because of the ongoing pandemic. Instead of purchasing these hygiene products for her family, she was able to save money for living expenses.

“Going through tough times doesn’t mean you can’t take care of yourself,” Angie said. “We are hoping to help people do just that. Items like this are needed. Thank you to Good360 for helping the little nonprofits get the products in the hands of people who could most benefit from them the most.”